Nose Over Tail
by Stoic Harlequin
Summary: Life is often more than one can handle on their own. Four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle brothers, who've spent their entire lives in solitude and concealment, for safety, discover just how alone they really aren't.
1. Time to Waste

**Nose Over Tail**  
>Preface:<br>Time to Waste

_There comes a time when you realize that life is bigger than you, or that your situation is out of your control. Recently my brothers and I came to that conclusion…life and our situation is far bigger than any of us, even Master Splinter, could have imagined._

_~Leonardo_

* * *

><p>"They're still coming." Don's voice was urgent and quiet. He was leaning forward against a door. They were wedged in a small closet-like room. The only light in the tiny spot was a dim emergency light which dispensed a small amount of blue hue. He was breathing heavily. In his arm he held a small box, the prize – the thing they were after.<p>

Leo didn't have to hear Don's words to know that they were still being pursued. He knew as much, the thing that troubled him was that they had barricaded themselves in a dead end. It could be considered a coffin for what appeared to be so obviously next. They shouldn't have trapped themselves in the room. It might dissuade their adversaries for a minimal amount of time, but the point was that it would be minimal.

"We can't leave the way we came in." Leo said in the same quick and soft voice Don had used as he tapped lightly on the door.

They needed to escape, and quickly, if they were to make it out with their lives. His eyes were searching the ceiling as his hands ran along the walls taking in all the visual and textual information meanwhile trying to process a quick exit plan. Mike and Raph came to mind, they had to get out for them – it was imperative that he and Don return with the box.

Leo angrily pushed aside the broom and hanging fabrics to feel the wall behind them. He had been wounded slightly in the tussle they'd just incurred and Don was bearing the burden of their reward.

There was nothing in the room that could benefit him, as far as Leo could tell so far. The ceiling wasn't tiled for an easy exit into duct work above and the walls seemed to be solid concrete. He looked back up – taking the door wasn't an option as they'd be quickly discovered. Breaking through the wall was out of the question. Leo scooped up the broom and gently moved it over his head to give the ceiling a test prod.

There was resistance against the wooden shaft and Leo frowned. He drew it back down and let if fall into the corner with a soft thump. Though his adrenaline was pumping hard he could feel himself tiring. It was supposed to be easy, it was supposed to be quick, it was supposed to be in and out. Somehow this didn't qualify as any of those things. Leo leaned over and pressed himself against the door, listening quietly. There was a siren ringing loudly through the halls. The noise almost over road the thumping of footsteps thundering passed.

Time was being cut into the few precious minutes they had. Leo, though cool and collected on the exterior, could feel his heart hammering against his chest so hard he thought that the sound of it alone might draw them back. He sighed when it passed and he turned to give the ceiling another go around.

However as he turned back he felt a light prick in his arm. He gave a low hiss in retaliation. He'd nearly forgotten Don was there as he was so wrapped up finding their way out. It was something commonplace with Leo, he became so focused on leading or rules that he sometimes lost sight of the who he was leading and protecting. He was aware of the problem and was working on that aspect of his guiding, but it still seemed to slip out when the pressure was on. The ends, when trapped, always justified the means in Leo's protection of his family. The ends, in this case, was getting he and Don the hell out of the room and the entire building for that matter.

The moment he felt the stinging in his arm and then the subsequent warm sensation that raced through his body Leo was painfully aware of what had happened; of what Don had done.

There was an ache in his side that pulsed through his chest and he lunged forward narrowly missing a smack against the door. He wouldn't have recognized Don at all if it weren't for the purple mask that was looped around his neck; but that was the least of his worries in that moment.

He cringed as the painful pulse raced through him a second time. "Damnit Donnie." He managed between shooting pains and labored breaths. "It wasn't an option."

"It was the only option Leo." Don argued calmly in a low voice. He reached out and snatched one of the hangers off the rack of which Leo had pushed aside. "Put this on. Turns out…we will be leaving the way we came in."

* * *

><p><strong>::Author's Note::<strong>

A little bit of a warning: This story takes the 2003 cartoon as the backing for it's foundation. However, it is technically an AU (alternate universe) as it only goes as far as the first season. The conception of this story was thought and planned when the new cartoon originally aired, as it was plotted during that time - never fully written - it didn't take into account future events of the series. Therefore may not fit with the whole series - however the personalities are aligned with that particular universe.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. We hope you enjoy this piece. It's a little more light hearted than Sing to Me Your Darkest Secrets; but just as massive an undertaking. Please, if you have a moment, let us know what you think - we'd love to hear.

- Stoic and Harley


	2. Stupid Kid

**Nose Over Tail**  
>Chapter 1:<br>Stupid Kid

_**3 months earlier**_

There was a constant and steady click from the pecking of a keyboard, a continual flicker in the distance of candlelight, and an off and on clatter of weapons. Michelangelo ground his teeth, for this first time in his nineteen years of living he was bored and unable to entertain himself. He was distracted by Donatello hacking away at the keyboard, sidetracked by Leonardo's meditating candles, and annoyed by Raphael's non stop practice.

Mike didn't bother letting anyone know he was leaving, he just disappeared. They always seemed to notice when he did things wrong, but made a point not to take note when he did things right. Today was a right day, he wished he could just be non existent. Mike sighed, they didn't know, they wouldn't understand…he had feelings just like all of them, and just because all they saw was the happy side that didn't mean the other sides didn't exist. Lately depression had been happening more then Mike would have liked, he was somehow beginning to realize that he and his brothers were unlike anyone else in the world and that meant a long life of solitude. It didn't ease his mind to hear that turtles lived naturally long lives, most exceeding 100.

Mike didn't understand how any of the other guys could take it so well, they had to know they'd be lonely for the rest of their lives. He'd seen it on TV, everybody needed friends. Sure they had April and Casey, on occasion, but that wasn't enough…that didn't suffice. Mike was a socialite, he was a butterfly of conversation, a ham, all the things that required an audience and his limited audience was getting bored with him. His brothers could tolerate his jokes and carefree center-of-attention personality for a short while before they ignored him or threatened to beat the life out of him. Master Splinter was more patient with him, but too often his goofing around turned into lecture material about how he needed to be more serious. April was polite enough to suffer through Mike's vat of useless TV knowledge, but she wasn't around often enough to entertain him, and Casey (when he was around) was usually arguing with Raph or hitting on April.

Mike's train of though had been as tangent as his direction when he left the lair, and now he found himself without any indication of his location. He frowned.

Mike distinctly heard someone heading in his direction.

"Just great," he moaned. Somehow, he knew that his bout of self pity was about to come to an end. Silently he slipped into the shadows, extracting his 'chucks, once he found himself completely hidden.

The pounding of foot steps headed his way gave Mike a slight sense of anxiety. There was definitely more than one set. He was somewhere between glad there was something distracting him from his unease, yet slightly annoyed that someone was interrupting him. He peeked out from the shadows of the nook that he had wedged himself in just in time to catch a glimpse of a cloaked figure running past carrying something big and bulky. Right on the tail of the burdened figure was three massive creatures, also concealed in brown burlap cloaks.

Mike didn't think, he didn't even consider any other alternative. He reached his foot out and caught the last large guy by his ankle taking him off balance and causing him to tumble forward and land hard on the sewer floor. Mike bounced out from his hiding spot prepared to fight. Though he knew nothing of the situation, he was fairly certain anything in which an out numbering of three to one was something he needed to help get involved in.

At the crashing sound of their companion the other two halted and turned to see what the commotion was about. Mike saw the individual being pursued dart around a nearby corner. His attention was immediately brought back to the three goons he had opted to aggravate. Had he the time he might have made some snarky remark about how funny it was to leave him to deal with the big guys, but he was too distracted to be funny. The first Mike had decided to attack was just picking himself up from the inch of water running through the sewer drain, meanwhile the other two were approaching the lone turtle quickly. He, Mike, being out number three to one wasn't bothered at all, in fact, he hadn't realized he was out number at all. Unlike Raph he wasn't looking forward to the approaching battle with happy aggression, he was taking it like Mike always took fighting; light heartedly and with no sense of maturity for he had no real fear of loosing. His overconfidence blinded him from any other alternative.

The individual attempting to pull himself from the ground was unable to accomplish his task, as Mike decided to use his back as a springboard for throwing himself at the other two pursuers. Mike landed a flying kick in the nearest adversary's chest, slinging him backward. Mike hit the ground with grace, but didn't hold his dismount for more than a second before lunging toward the third man, landing one 'chuck after another in his chest.

With a heaving chest, Mike stepped back to look at his work. All three figures were strewn about the sewer floor moaning and groaning. He smiled, a lopsided Mike grin and turned to see if he could catch the first cloaked figure that was being chased. Mike's attempt to follow was quickly halted when he spun into the solid chest of a large individual before him. A malicious laugh echoed the sewer tunnel as Mike was lifted off his feet and tossed into a nearby wall.

"Ohhhh," Mikey shook his head, beyond his blurred vision he could make out at least another twelve large burly guys in cloaks – he reasoned that it could be six and perhaps he was seeing double. However, that thought in and of itself was staggering and worrisome to the turtle, if he cared at all. He managed an off hand comment, "I suppose you guys are friends of those dudes I just clobbered."

Mike didn't make it for the response, his eyes rolled back in his head, and the last thing he remembered was thinking, 'Man, those guys are strong. I'll have to remember next time not to let them catch me'.

* * *

><p><strong>::Author's Note::<strong>

We decided to post the preface and first chapter of this piece at the same time.

As before thank you for taking the time to stop by. We hope you enjoy this piece. Please, if you have a moment, let us know what you think - we'd love to hear.

- Stoic and Harley


	3. I Just Went Crazy

**Nose Over Tail**  
>Chapter 2:<br>I Just Went Crazy

Mike came around, slowly. He pulled the warm comforter up to his chin, nuzzled down in the soft bed, enjoyed the feel of sun on his cheek and conceited that he'd had a terrible dream in which he lost a fight to an entire gang of ruffians. It took him nearly falling asleep again to realize that he'd never been in a real bed, nor was it ever safe to feel sun anywhere on his body and he'd not once used a blanket to keep himself warm…in fact the only blanket in the whole lair was a tattered old quilt full of holes that belonged to Master Splinter and he used in the winter when the ground froze over.

Mikey bounced from the bed, grabbing for his 'chucks. He gasped, horrified, to find they weren't tucked in his belt where they should be. Reflexively, yet clumsily from his still bleary eyed sleepy state, he flattened his back against the nearest wall. He scanned the room before him. Windows opened up to the outside world, where rays of yellow sun showered the bed he was asleep in with a warm glow. There was a row of pegs lining the wall with brown burlap cloaks hanging on them. The room was nearly bare, save the bed and a small chest of drawers.

Uneasily Mikey stepped out into the room, he looked on the other side of the bed. He found nothing there, but he was unsure of what he was looking for to begin with. The situation reminded him of an old Twilight Zone episode he'd see on late night TV one time. He was afraid he'd somehow gotten lobbed into the body of another person. With that thought in mind he bound over the bed and skidded to a halt at the chest where a spotless mirror was attached. He peered into the mirror and upon seeing his reflection looking back at him he sighed with relief. After inspecting himself in the mirror, a second time, he frowned. His three fingered hand went to his head where a large bump had developed, he was more dismayed to see that his 'chucks weren't the only thing missing…his mask was also missing.

"Ah, you're awake. Good."

Mikey jumped at the sound of another voice entering the room. He spun and clumsily fell back into a fighting stance. His head was still pounding and hadn't fully grasped the fact that he was awake and this was happening around him. The door was standing open and a man was now present in the room. Mikey could have kicked himself for not hearing the door open, his bothers and Master Splinter were right, if life or death came down to his observations skill he'd be dead before he knew it.

He was unlike anything Mike had seen before and his arms fell to his side as his mouth dropped open. The man was several inches, if not a foot, taller than Mikey, with thick dark hair covering his entire body, a snout and long floppy ears. To Mikey he looked like an overgrown dog. A dog-man as it were. He was sure he was dreaming - he'd had this one before.

The man's somber tone stuck in Mikey's head, the words hadn't sunken in yet because Mikey was more awed by the man's appearance.

"Do you remember your name or where you live? You were struck very hard. We did our best to tend your wounds, I think you'll heal nicely." The man never smiled, his voice never shifted, and his expression held in a blank contempt look. However, Mikey reasoned that there was chance he was smiling and he wouldn't be able to identify a dog-man grin.

"Huh?" Mikey said, rubbing his head dumbfounded.

"As I understand you were helping, however you should not have gotten involved. You may be in more danger now than you've ever known." The dog-man said, striding past Mikey and pulling the curtains down.

"I doubt that dude. Have you ever seen a ten foot – er eleven foot – yeah eleven foot monster?" Mikey let one of his playful chuckles escape him, but his words and meaning – for Mikey – were serious. When the man merely started at him blankly he nodded, the grin on his face widening. "Yeah, I didn't think so. But I have." He poked himself in the chest proudly.

"Oh, you can speak. What's your name sir?" The man deflected Mikey's words completely.

"Sir?" Mike blinked hard. "Who me? Whoa bro, I'm not a sir. I'm a Michelangelo, but everybody calls me Mikey; sometimes Mike, only Michelangelo when I'm in trouble most times."

"Welcome Mikey," at coming upon Mikey's name the man's voice finally changed, it rose a bit as if he felt awkward calling someone by a nickname. The man turned to leave.

"Whoa man," Mikey held up a hand. "You wanna tell me what's going on? I mean why those dudes were all playing chase – and ohhhh, I don't know, who they are. Maybe even who you are if I score the right story? Because right now I'm convinced this is a pretty wild dream. Not everyday you wake up to a dog-dude." The irony of Mikey's words, coming from a giant turtle, were entirely lost on the teen.

The man heaved a great sigh. "Perhaps the story can hold for just a little while, I have a more pressing matters to address now that I am certain you are well. Stay for dinner and I shall answer all the questions you have then."

Mikey watched as the man left closing the door quietly behind him. He was slightly put off, if not a little emotionally hurt, that he'd been told there were 'more pressing matters'. It was a blow off Mike was pretty used to and was a further illustration of how the day had begun.

Even with that thought lingering in the back of his mind he held frozen in his spot keeping the image of the man in his mind. Mikey had to convince his feet to move and when he was able to, he bolted out of the door with the intention of telling the man that he couldn't stay for dinner (no matter how much his stomach begged him to), nor could he wait for his answers because his brothers would worry; but he was brought to a sudden stop once he left the room. He was absolutely dumbstruck.

Mikey entered, what he assumed was, a living room or common room. There were people lounging all about this room, mutants - like him, of all animal kind and shape. He gawked openly at all the beings of his breed, all the people he'd been missing out on his whole life…people who would understand. He couldn't peel his eyes away, it was an awkwardly exhilarating feeling that pumped into his blood. It was in that moment that he figured Rob Serling would step out from the nearest curtain and say it…_"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone."_

However, when nothing happened – Mikey's anticipation waned and he frowned a little letting out a disappointed breath, accepting that this was in fact real. A few of the mutants looked up, but most continued whatever they were doing; which was mostly sitting idly. Instantly Mikey wished one of his brothers were there, they would know what to do. He was the personable turtle but he didn't know how to react in strange situations. In fact, the turtle was impressed with himself simply because he hadn't let out a surprised or panicked shriek just yet. In Mikey's book this qualified as a strange situation. He wanted to shout, get away, stay close, everything all at once, but most of all, he wanted to know what was going on.

Mikey took another look about the room and he realized what type of establishment this was…it appeared to be a makeshift hospital. Most of the creatures in the sitting room were wounded, aching, or sick. A hyper looking young monkey girl was perched on a chair behind a desk that looked like it came from the early part of the last century. She was bouncing up and down as she sifted through a stack of papers. She paused at one page and shrieked in an awkwardly high voice, "King, the doctor will see you now."

Mikey watched an older looking dog-man be helped up by a pup and led through a door behind the monkey desk clerk. The monkey's eyes flittered over to Mikey. She blinked two huge dark eyes at him. Instantly she sprung from the chair, soared through the air and landed some fifteen feet away from the desk at Mikey's feet. She snatched up his wrist and looked at a green band, he hadn't noticed before, tied around his wrist. "Number 17825, are you registered?"

Mikey saw a few more people look up when the monkey spoke to him. Her voice was loud and carried through the room shrilly. For the first time in his life Mikey found himself embarrassed, for he had no idea how to gauge his response. Nearly half of the mutants in this room were dressed as humans would be, and without his mask, pads, and belt he felt extremely exposed; naked even.

"Well?" She seemed impatient. "Are you registered or not?"

"I don't think so. Maybe?" He shrugged.

Her expression went placid and she asked, slowly and sarcastically. "You don't know if your registered or not?"

"Where'd that black dog guy go?" Mikey asked quickly, evading the uncomfortable question.

She shrieked a laugh. "Black-dog-guy?" She cooed a chuckle even louder, mocking him. "You mean _Doctor_ Wayne?"

"I guess that's what I mean," Mikey said sheepishly, he felt much like when he was getting an individual lecture from Master Splinter. When he was lectured among his brothers, though Master Splinter's words meant something to him, he was brave enough to cut up and joke about it. When it was just the two of them and he had no one to show off to he often found himself tongue tied and feeling like a heel - as he did in that very moment.

"He's seeing patients, you know, what _doctors_ do." She was definitely annoyed. "Well do you have a family that's coming to get you or are you well enough to get home on your own?" When Mikey didn't respond for several seconds she finally lowered her voice, in a manner of which she was speaking to a child or a mentally challenged person, "You do have a home…don't you?"

"Of course I do," Mikey tried to return her contempt, but failed, his words came with his distinct Mikey joking charm.

She wrinkled her brow ridge at him.

"Besides, the _doctor_ invited **me** for dinner."

The monkey frowned harder, instantly jealous. Mikey heard the monkey give a low growl next to him. His head drew back on his neck. Part of him was slightly afraid of her, monkeys were dangerous and they meant business. He'd seen it on _Animal Planet_. They threw pooh and fought with reckless abandon. Plus there was that murdering monkey on _2001 a Space Odyssey_, Mikey always wondered who would start a movie out with monkeys bludgeoning each other to death with leg bones. What he'd seen from her, Mikey figured she was the type to be like the monkeys on TV, he just wasn't sure if he'd have feces flung at him or have to defend himself - while naked and 'chuck-less, from her bone wielding wrath.

She was puffing angrily at him but unable to find words. Finally she gave a true primate squeal and bounced back through the air landing in her chair causing it to spin several times, while she was perched on top of it, before coming to a halt.

"Hey," Mike said as an afterthought, spinning to face the monkey again. Now it was a matter of intentionally annoying her; for amusement and perhaps to get her to lighten up. The space she'd given him made him brave. "Maybe you could tell me what happened to my clothes, and weapons. Feelin' a bit drafty here." She was less frightening from a distance.

"What are you, stupid too? Ugly and stupid, lucky you." She squawked while throwing a plastic bag _at_ him. "This is a hospital not a pit fight. Your _weapons_ are at the front desk downstairs."

Mike fumbled with untying the handles of the grocery store like plastic bag that had been lobbed in his direction. He frowned a little, she wasn't only bitter and bossy – but mean too. However, inside the bag he found his mask, elbow and knee guards, as well as his belt.

As he put them on, there in the middle of the waiting room shamelessly, he felt much better. He felt far less exposed and more able to be himself. It was odd how his mind connected part of his identity to the orange mask he sported so often. With the application of his 'clothes' Mike gained confidence and a little bolder edge; he even considered himself a good deal more dashing. He peeked back over at the monkey desk clerk who had lost interest and was busy doing her own thing again with various stacks of papers.

"Come on, this makes me look good." He told her playfully. She didn't even look up, but Mike went on none the less. "Now if I just had some cute heels to match I'd be set."

She snorted absently to herself, it could have been a side effect of what she was looking at for all he knew as she gave him none of her attention. While scrawling on one of the pages, still without looking back at him, she snapped tersely and offhandedly, "I _knew_ it – stupid too." It was a soft backhanded comment made intentionally loud enough to be heard but more as if she was talking to herself than anything.

Mike frowned, he though to make some funny remark about _'Planet of the Apes'_ but refrained from the verbal thrashing that would likely ensue from panties-in-a-bunch-primate. It baffled his easy going mind to think that some people couldn't just lighten up from time to time.

Quickly coming to the conclusion that she would be no fun Mike went to one of the near by chairs and flopped down unceremoniously and overdramatically. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do next. He wanted answers but he wanted his brothers too. A loud and demanding rumble erupted from his abdomen and he glanced downward at his middle. The doctor had offered dinner, which Mike had thought dumbly to decline. He was quickly reconsidering it. He'd never eaten the stuff doctors eat, his head began fabricating all the delicious treats one with the title 'doctor' might indulge in. It never occurred to Mike that doggy-Doctor-Wayne might eat kibble-n-bits. By the time he'd gotten to the end of his reasoning about what cream filled puffs awaited him Mikey was more than sold on staying for dinner; after all the guys probably wouldn't notice his absence.

* * *

><p><strong>::Author's Note::<strong>

This chapter was really hard for me to post (Stoic pushed and pushed_ and_ **pushed**; she is the reason you're reading it now - I hope she's right), where some of the plot starts. I always get timid when we start to approach the questionable material. I assure it will be handled with respect and care. Don't give up on us, there is (like all of our writing) reason for everything. We have explanations galore, never fear that. I must admit it's fun to write Mike. When I started this story, it was with the intention to tackle him as I never had before. We hope he's been done justice by our craft.

Thank you for reading. We truly appreciate each and every one of you that stops by.

- Harley


	4. The Truth Shall Be Sung

****Nose Over Tail**  
><strong>Chapter 3:  
><span>The Truth Shall Be Sung<span>

Mikey sat alone in the waiting room of the hospital for some time. He watched each patient being taken through the doors just as he watched each that arrived. No one talked to him and almost no one gave him a second glance. When he made to talk to someone the monkey desk clerk hushed him angrily. So many interesting things were blooming around him he was bursting with intrigue and dying to discuss it with someone, so it flustered him slightly each time she did it. He dropped his chin heavily on his hand like a scolded child and pouted pitifully. He wished he could see the doctor again. Most of all he felt even more detached, distanced from his own kind, because he didn't know why or how they had gotten there. He wanted to go outside in the sun and walk around the streets in the daylight hours. It was a day that had started out bad had somehow gotten worse and better all at the same time.

"Michelangelo."

Mikey looked up, he hadn't even realized he was leaning over with his head in his hands.

The doctor was hovering above him. He was a tall man to begin with and he seemed all that much more ominous from where Mikey was below him. "Come, it is time to go home."

"Doctor Wayne," the monkey shrieked from behind the desk.

"Not now Sarah."

Mikey watched her scowl and as they left Mikey asked, "What's up with the Monkey-girl?"

Doctor Wayne shook his head. "She is new to the mutant world, very bitter. She will come to accept it as soon as she realizes that she's an exotic."

"A say what?" Mikey looked confused, but his brow ridges rose in curiosity.

"An exotic form of mutant. You will soon find that we are of the common mutant types. I only tell you such because it is obvious that this is your first encounter with other mutants. Sarah also informed me of such. You are, after all, unregistered."

"Registered? What's'at mean? Who should I be registered with?" Mikey asked, blinking two wide and intrigued eyes at the doctor.

"We'll pick up the remaining paraphernalia you had on your person at the front desk. I've since learned a little more of how you came to us. Your brothers are awaiting our arrival." Doctor Wayne didn't skip a beat as he went on to answer Mikey's question and cut off the excited turtle who almost slingshot himself into some eager ramble at the mention of his family. "The TCB is who holds the registry." When Mikey opened his mouth the doctor held up a hand, "I will explain everything over dinner. It would be in your best interest to look as comfortable as possible as we cross town. Sometimes newly registered mutants aren't treated as best they should by long time registered mutants. You see, those of us who have been in the system long enough forget that we are all part of the same race…and we treat new people without kind regard. New comers often get more care from the TCB, so do your best to blend in as we head out among the others."

As they walked the streets of what looked, to Mikey, like a nice part of Manhattan Mikey was even more surprised to find all kinds of mutants going about their business. It was as if he had stepped into an alternate reality where instead of humans the world was inhabited solely by animal-people. Mikey was surprised, however, to see a human child of about two held by a cat lady who was waiting to cross the street. Mikey pointed and opened his mouth to speak but the doctor reached out and pushed Mikey's arm down by his side and went on sharply, "I will explain _everything_, now stop staring. And **don't** point." It was the first excessive amount of inflection that Mikey had seen the doctor use yet.

Mikey noticed that some wore clothes and some didn't, they ranged in all kinds of size and shape. Most of them looked happy and unbothered by their state of existence, they were simply going on about their business. There were a few that looked angry, but they didn't strike Mikey as much different than Raph. He mimicked a sour face and stomped long next to the doctor after passing one of these characters. At that Mikey noticed two attractive girls who seemed amused by his show and gave him passing giddy smiles, but he also noted the boastful boyfriends at their sides. It was all overwhelming; intoxicatingly overwhelming.

Doctor Wayne led Mikey to a two story town house on the far end of the street, where the large buildings stopped. The black lab man unlocked the door and led Mikey in. "We have twenty-five square blocks of safety. The hospital is in, what we call, down town with the drug store and the grocery shop. About seventy-five hundred mutants occupy our twenty-five blocks."

Mikey noticed then that the doctor wore clothes, he hadn't really noticed before. Doctor Wayne removed his light jacket and hung it on a peg behind the door.

"You'll find that most mutants who were human first wear clothes, those who were animals first often don't wear clothes at all. This is not always the case, but its one factor"

"Does that mean you were human first?" Mikey asked absently as he looked about the atrium of the doctor's residence.

"Yes, I am an H-base mutant – that is our terminology, slang if you will, for the type of being we were pre-mutation. Mutants who were animals first are referred to as A-base. I was a veterinarian, now I serve as one of the hospital's primary physicians. It's convenient really, the other doctors were all medical doctors of the human persuasion. With my medical opinions and theirs we often come to the appropriate diagnosis – it's not always the case but generally speaking it is. As for dinner, I often tend toward human cuisine…I'm not much for the pup biscuits, and since I know nothing of your origin I would have to ask, what do you prefer?"

"I'm mega-keen on pizza." He beamed. No sooner had the words been spoken and there was a familiar voice that joined in his suggested dish of choice. Mikey's head swiveled around to see Raph sitting among his other three brothers in the living room just past the atrium he was standing in.

"Whoa! Fancy meetin' you guys here." Mike beamed a toothy grin at them. Though the doctor had mentioned them he was still a shade passed thrilled to see them all sitting there. He darted into the living room where his family awaited his arrival. He immediately launched himself into a dissertation of what he'd seen, in true Mikey commentary fashion. Raph was already on the edge of clobbering him and Leo was just glad to see him. Don however lingered back, giving the others a moment. He was absorbed in something completely separate of the reunion occurring before him.

There was a small glass syringe between his fingers. He'd spent the better part of the day examining it, toying with it and reading the label on it. He had patiently been awaiting the doctor's arrival – one he'd been promised since he and his brothers found Mike completely unconscious on the sewer floor. He, Leo and Raph and handily defeated the foes who were seconds away from either killing or kidnapping the gregarious orange-clad turtle. He listened closely, past the chatter of his brothers, to the phone call for pizza the doctor was making. There were questions laced in the very sentiment. Would it be delivered to the house? Would the doctor accept said package? Did it come from a pizza joint they were familiar with?

Don's curiosity was peaked more than ever. There wasn't an ounce of interest that had dwindled since a good deal of information had been dumped on him in the last few hours; most of it made little to no sense what so ever. After Mikey escaped what he, no doubt, thought was an unnoticed exit the other guys pursued him; per Master Splinter's observation of the sadden Mike. Don had deduced that his sensei noted that Mike was in low spirits as he wasn't making noise or drawing attention; both were signs that something was awry with Mikey.

After the encounter a body slinked back, the one that Don had to assume was what spawned Mike to get involved in the first place. He had been wearing a heavy brown, burlap hooded cloak. He was carrying a large wooden box. He set the box aside and drew the hood back to reveal a boy, covered in white fur dotted with black spots, floppy ears and a slight snout. The very astute observation, that this boy too was a mutant, had had Don reeling. There had been no explanation as Raph threw himself at the boy, pinning him to the wall and blaming Mike's condition on him. Don scowled slightly at the thought. That reaction in and of itself had likely closed off a lot of answers he could have by now. But the boy had promised health care to Mike and answers from a doctor he knew, if they carried him. The boy had been partly dejected as the box he'd been carrying was dropped when Raph launched himself on him and he expressed concern for that. However they, of course, agreed to bring Mikey and accept the offered medical care. After bringing the wounded brother to the location in which they were led, topside as it were, the boy had told them the doctor insisted they stay, not at the hospital, but at his residence. After a few exchanged words between Leo and the dog boy, Don found himself in the house.

It had been more than half a day now and Don was holding one of the undamaged items in the box the boy was carrying. "Hey guys," Don had said after being left alone in the very home they were in at present, "take a look at this." He held up a syringe which was one of a few dozen in the package. "It says, Polymoxitrate Brutexamar Morphohol."

"So?" Raph shrugged, spinning hissaisfor a distraction. Raph was very anxious, sitting still and worry for his brother made him that way. As a result he was pacing, stomping rather heavily as he went.

"That's not the interesting part, this is, the small print," he had pointed at the glass, "approved by TCB, manufactured by TCRI." The others hadn't seemed nearly as interested in it as he was. Leo had briefly showed a remote curiosity but it waned as the hours drew on and there was no word of Mike. Don, on the other hand, spent the entire time observing the thick opaque yellow liquid held in the confines of the glass syringe. A million questions swam in his head. They had seen a slew of other mutants on the street when they crossed town from the hospital. Why was the boy carrying this? What did it do? What did the brutish thugs who were pursing him have to do with it? How was a doctor involved? Why and how could they be topside? Where had the dog-boy come from? How many other mutants were there? Where, exactly, were they?

Don was no closer to figuring those answers out on his own, that's why his leg bounced impatiently as the doctor continued to speak into the receiver merely requesting dinner. He just knew that he could have figured the answers out, if he had his lab and a way to gather data; but he'd been trapped in the house all day. Meanwhile his head was bursting with a variety of thoughts.

Raph had gotten fed up with Mike's mouth and grabbed him around the neck and drilled his knuckle into his bald head. Leo had to intervene so that they didn't break anything in the doctor's residence by their roughhousing.

"It shouldn't take too long for dinner to arrive then. Forgive my lack of introductions previously, I supposed you would have liked a moment to reunite. I'm Alexander Wayne, Doctor Wayne." He said, finding his way back to the brothers. "Please, get comfortable." He said hospitably. However there was a lull in his mannerisms and his inflection. The doctor was a very even tempered and almost emotionless person on the exterior. "I've asked for the pizza to be delivered to us. Typically I'd go down to one of the checkpoints at the city limits and pick it up myself. When it arrives I must ask that you absolutely quiet. Mr. McLeod was working the booth this evening. He's one of the TCB's officials, as such he'd be obligated to report you to the agency should you be discovered. Before anything of that nature happens I want you to fully understand what the TCB is and what registration entails. I'm sure you have many questions, and I will answer them all in turn to the best of my ability. But first, please, explain to me your story. How did you come to be and missed, I'm under the impression this mutation isn't new to you – you seem far too comfortable in your skin and shells for that. Besides I haven't heard of many current mutations; the experimentation stopped some time ago."

Doctor Wayne sat tentatively on the edge of a nearby chair and quietly listened as Leonardo explained how, for nineteen years, he and his brothers lived in the sewers fighting the evils of Shredder and the foot clan when the situation arose. Occasionally Mike or Raph would throw in a side comment, while Don interjected what he considered poignant information.

"Please tell me of your cause," Leo urged gently, but his purpose wasn't missed by Doctor Wayne.

"Our cause is good, I assure you. I hope you understand our meaning behind what we do, or at least will before the night is out. I thank you for helping, trust me when I say it would have been a horrible fate if Sebastian was captured. Sebastian was the boy, the Dalmatian boy. However before I get to what we were doing and what it is that we've stolen, I must start at the beginning."

The doctor sank into the comfortable arm chair across from the teenage boys. He seemed older in that moment, much older than he had previously. Tired. Tire was another thing that seemed to ebb off from the dogish man as his ears looked a little droopier and he took a ragged breath. He was stoic, if not defeated. He appraised each of them before he began to speak. "First let me say it's a good deal of information – so feel free to stop me at any point should I confuse you. As you are familiar with TCRI, I won't bore you with their being the cause of our existence, that much is known and clear to you. They dumped this mutagen everywhere after they finally had the technology to start on whatever experiments they're doing in their labs that creates it. The byproduct of the experiments was the radioactive mutagen – our origins. It was discarded carelessly wherever they had a location. Often times seeping into the ground water and so on. Obviously it infected thousands of us. Yourselves included." He sighed heavily, once more seeming wary laden with the information he was giving. It was as if the very knowledge of it had plagued him.

"I don't know how much you know about them, but it's obvious that they are not human either. You see the organic forms of life on this planet are delicate, we're carbon and water based. It's not a very durable combination in the grand scheme of things. Wherever the TCRI people are from life isn't so delicate and the mutagen doesn't react and interact with their bio-chemistry the same way. Given that, they had no idea the mutagen would affect life on this planet the way it does. However even when approached by the government, ourUSgovernment, showing them what their waste products did to humans and animals they scoffed." His shoulders sank a little, reflecting the further internal struggle he had with what he knew. "I don't think the government, even now, recognizes that the beings that run TCRI aren't human. After time and more cases of mutated animals the government finally restricted TCRI as a corporation and gave them guidelines by which to practice their business. They still break the codes from time to time, of course, and that's why we still find cases of mutated creatures. Not nearly as often, the majority of the beings found were mutated between ten and twenty-five years ago. TRIC is now under obligation to help, since only they have the technology to help us. They do very little, yet it's something. And they do have some interactions with the TCB.

"Which leads us to _them_ – the TCB. We are still considered US citizens, so we're still under the jurisdiction of the US government – with all the rights and privileges as such." His mockery was quite obvious, yet there still wasn't a rise in inflection. It was merely the way in which he spoke the words and the noble nod of his shaggy haired head he gave them that indicated any emotion at all. "Because of the nature of our existence we are filled under conspiracy theories. There are few humans that know of our existence. Many of them are part of the government agency that **_deals_** with us. Other than those humans there are the families that have had to turn mutated children over to the government for the safety of themselves and the people." Again his tone suggested mockery and the stiff way in which he seemed to be quoting a rule book.

Mikey was staring at the doctor with a mouth agape, wide-eyed expressionless mask. It wasn't clear if he was in shock or simply didn't understand a word the doctor was spewing. Raph managed to catch a glimpse of Mike and figured rather definitively that it was the latter rather than the former as a snort-like noise escaped him. He leaned back on the couch, boring sure, but at least he got it. He figured Mike didn't care how it happened, just that it had. Then it happened Mike's open mouth managed speaking…something. "Bio-what? Doooooode, what the heck does that mean?" He drug out his most commonly used word in the hopes to bide some time to think of something remotely sophisticated to add, but failed so just blabbed the only thing on his mind.

The interruption of the doctor's explanation annoyed Don more than anything else. Don was typically the most patient of them, patient in an obnoxious slow paced sort of way that Leo couldn't even compare to. However, under the circumstances Don wanted to slap a hand over his younger brother's mouth, and in some fanciful way perhaps tie him up complete with a duct-taped mouth or a gag until the doctor was done. Mike never 'got' anything highly complex (or, Don figured, pretended not to – or simply didn't pay enough attention to understand whatever item he was feigning ignorance of), now wasn't the time for him to start caring or pulling his typical showboat charade. "He's just saying that the mutagen has drastic effects on living creatures on our planet Mike, but you knew that already." Don leaned around Leo to glare at his brother, hoping it would get him to shut up – at least for now. Normally he was amused by Mikey's actions but this was one time Don wanted answers as simply and un-complex as possible.

"Ohhhhhh," Mike drew out his response, after which he nodded and grinned widely, complete with a typical Mikey half hearted laugh. "I get it."

Don let out an exasperated sigh and issued a pleading glance at the doctor. "Please, continue doctor."

Doctor Wayne was merely watching the exchange before him unfold with the same unreadable expression he always wore. "Right, well you see, the humans that know of us still aren't permitted in the government created city belonging only to mutants. There are four cities in the US. Here in New York, one just outside of LA, and two fully sufficient communities: one just outside of Orlando and the other on the outskirts of Seattle. The original initiative was to corral us into places that matched our animal's natural habitat." He scoffed disgruntled. "That failed rather miserably as we were all able to deduce where we _wanted_ to live. They forget we're sentient. Speaking of our sentient nature that's another thing that's never mentioned or addressed, at least to the pubic, mutant public as it were – the animal-animal mutation. It seems the mutagen works in such a way that the DNA blends together to create what we are – it can be surmised that it happened by way of epidermis."

"Skin cells." Don added in a distracted and distanced sort of voice. He was once more absorbed in the science, the explanation and all that was unfolding. "You mean to say that foreign skin cells that are present on the initial organism cause the mutation – rather are the determining factor in what sort of mutant is produced."

"Precisely." The doctor nodded. "It would have been based on who you were in contact with last. Not just skin cells, any other type of DNA that isn't native to creature. If a human child was licked by their dog, scratch by their cat, or sneezed on by their rabbit it would have the same sort of effect. It's just that we find epithelial are the most common transference. I'm not sure if it's based on the amount or most recent living cells or beyond the very basics of it. The actual act of mutation is not a typical concern of mine. Though from what I've gathered I believe that the cells must be fresh, so it would have to do mostly with time of transference and the contact with mutagen – as the cells would have to be recently removed from the living host for mutation to occur. That is to say that there is a time span in which transference and exposure have to happen within for mutation to actually happen.

"It's also a factor in race and species; it's why we have exotic mutant. Exotic being the street term for the rare breeds. 83 percent of us are dogs and cats. 96 percent of the mutants are animals that are considered 'house pets'. It's an example of the majority of humans and animals the mutagen effected – normal, everyday life forms. We weren't government agents or people in threat of being attacked. We were all just doing our own thing, living our own lives and then this happened. Of the mutants about 19 percent were human first, what we call H-based mutants; the majority of mutants were animals…mostly house pets. Cats are what you'll find the most, but we dogs put up a good defense in numbers." He smiled a little, the first time he showed any sort of excessive emotional output and even that was mild by most people's standards. "But really - it's all speculation because my wife was standing next to me when this happened and she was unaffected. The mutagen clearly only effects some. Like a virus or disease, some people - humans and animals - are immune."

Mike, once more, was distracted from the doctor's explanation. This was exactly why they had Don – to pay attention to the geeky science people they came in contact with. It was so Mike could do the more important part of the events, the actual _doing_. But there was no 'doing' to be had in the house as they were being lectured at. His mind had already wandered to the streets, just outside of the window. The place where he could really be learning about all those mutants they were dorking out about.

Raph's head was twisted around to the window too. He was sitting in the light; basking in its warm glory. For a moment Mike was envious of his angry brother who seemed slightly content, if not arrogantly proud, in his little patch of sun. Mike leaned over and gave Raph a small nudge and nodded toward the window. For once Raph seemed to agree silently with Mike. A devilish smile developed on the angry teen's face and Don and Doctor Wayne became 'Peanut's parents' in the background noise of some fancy escape plan they seemed to be telepathically creating.

Leo, however, was already on to them. He was keeping a close eye on their cautious yet casual sign language. He was watching to make sure they hadn't distracted on disrupted the doctor's explanation. The worst part, as far as Leo could tell, was that he wasn't able to give his undivided attention to the answers Don was getting. Don could probably be half listening toWaynewhile working an experiment of his own and still grasp and fully understand what he was saying; Leo did not have that gift. For him to completely follow the doctor it was essential that he listened to the entire conversation. It was something he wasn't able to do while chaperoning the vivacious Mike and trouble-making Raph. It was in that moment that he leaned over and gave Raph a rather hearty and warning clip to his shell against the other's outer protective armor. A set of scowls were exchanged but Mike settled back against the soft couch with a bored and defeated sigh.

Doctor Wayne seemed to not even notice, or he completely ignored, the exchange between the brothers. Don's attention was so fixed on facts that he too missed it, until Raph bumped into him from Leo's knocking into him. All four sets of attention were back on the doctor, some more begrudging than others who were eager.

"Along with our families not being permitted in the city they refrain from telling anyone about us because, well, frankly, they'd look crazy. Wherever there has been a leak, a crazy person who's gone out and started spouting stories about half human half animal creatures that walk and talk – oh the horror - the government plugs them up and sends their stories straight to the tabloids." He settled back in his seat again, gaining control of himself. He knew he'd displayed a little, if only a fraction, too much emotion in his previous declaration. It was clear then that he'd overlooked the silent brotherly interaction because he was emotionally wrapped up in the information he was attempting to relay. After reapplying his mild mannered demeanor he went on. "Therefore, for our safety, no cameras or anything that could photograph or film us are permitted in the cities. The government agency that deals with the mutant population, though it's affectionately been replaced by the populous with the term mutant _problem_, is called the TCB, the Transformed Creature Bureau.

"To keep our city safe they have check points at all the areas where you can enter the city. Mutants have to check in before they enter, how they can get out is another story…I'll be getting to that. Whatever is purchased out in the human side of the city must be checked in for approval at these TCB checkpoints. For the most part we are self sufficient and don't have to venture into the _dangerous_ world beyond. Where we would be judged or ridiculed. We have our own grocery store, hospital, drug store, mall and other entertainment establishments. It's everything a normal city would have just on a smaller scale; right down to economy and jobs. To keep humans from being curious about what's in our city the TCB set up, first the check points, so government agents are always seeing who comes and goes, but second they made it look like a run down side of town on the exterior. Most people don't bother even coming around. Those that do snoop are run off long before they get even close to the actual city by the crafty TCB agents. The TCB has made all the air space over the city unlawful to fly through…they've take serious precautions for us. There's about a staff of 150, here inNew York, all under CIA rule. I'm under the impression that the other cities have the same number – or approximately the same number – of TCB staff to monitor them. We're classified, the President isn't even aware of our existence. It's an exercise in exploitation and further demonstrates how complex and sometimes oblivious our governing body is."

"Say what?" Mike cut in again, now being forced to pay attention as he was. "Ya mean that there's people who watch you…that babysit the city?"

"One could call it that, yes." The doctor's voice cut with a hint of distain; it was the same sort of cynicism used when he referred to the TCB with any terms remotely resembling kindly.

"But these check points," Raph leaned up, something about this segment interested him too. There was something about walking the streets of what the doctor called 'the world beyond' that struck his interest. "Ya said that you can leave…how?"

"Ah that-" the doctor's voice was cut off by the sound of the doorbell chiming through the house. "Hold that thought." He raised a hand. "It must be Agent McLeod with the pizza. Please, remember, remain absolutely silent. I assure you, it's for your own safety. And whatever you do, do not leave this room."

The doctor rose and disappeared through the arch that led to the door. As they were told the four didn't make a sound, their ninja skills coming in handy, but they heard a muffled exchanged between the doctor and a man they could only assume was McLeod. After which the doctor returned with a small stack of pizzas. He also produced plates and allowed his guests to gather their food.


	5. This Addiction

**Nose Over Tail****  
><strong>Chapter 4:  
><span>This Addiction<span>

He didn't allow for a lull as he launched back in without hesitation, "Where was I? Ah yes, the city and accessing it." He nodded to Raph. "I assure you I'll be getting to that, in due time. Naturally there are some mild mutation cases. Those humans often live within the human cities and receive monies for their troubles; quite money of course. Those people are also not permitted in our cities. These mild cases are humans with cat tails or ferret ears and other such oddities, things that can be hidden or cosmetically altered. With this evidence of mild cases it can also be assumed, or hypothesized, that some are immune to the mutagen. Anyhow, we're safe here. We receive government aid, but most of us work and get money just like anyone else. We have our own economy with the city, just like we have our own culture. Of course most things are subsidized to make sure we keep a stable economy.

"As for the government aid, the care packages, that each registered mutant receives. That's a whole other story and that's how TCRI becomes involved again." He nodded knowingly. "Within the government aid packages we receive monthly, understand most goes disregarded, but there's one nugget of gold each of us waits for with bated breath." There it was, bitterness; the doctor's inflection snapped through his carefully placed façade and leapt out rather clearly in that moment.

"There are two injections per person per month. The same injections I, with the help of a few others, have been stealing from TCB's headquarters. They're affectionately called, among the people, Po-Mo. It's there, that injection you're holding." The doctor nodded to the yellow filled syringe still in Don's hand. "The scientific term I couldn't tell you off hand but what it does is change the mutant, temporarily, into a human – or at least in the appearance of one. The chemistry behind it is rather brilliant. It's a protein that attaches to and integrates itself in the RNA strains, causing a shift in the description the RNA gives the DNA. The DNA might be the genetic blueprint but the RNA is what tells the DNA what to do. The DNA accepts the messages from the RNA that is altered by the Po-Mo proteins, and changes the appearance of the mutant…temporarily. That's how we get out to walk among the humans, they don't notice us – because we look like them.

"See all this started happening years ago, the government realized that we weren't self sufficient and we need to access human goods; meanwhile they were working on a 'cure'. That's how TCRI came up with this injection. At the time they hoped it would be permanent. But being the delicate biological life forms that we are it was easy to reprogram our basic build blocks, but nature's a fickle bitch and stubborn too. So it's hard to initiate permanent results on a genetic evolution that should take thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years in the natural course. There are still some things that we need to go into the cities for, mainly medicines we don't get here in our safe haven. The government has no need to request them to be shipped to the TCB and then brought to us because we still have this injection that allows us to go out into the city. You see, they are fueling the need for the drug because it's easier to accept what's in place than do simple changes to repair the situation. But for other commodities we have the check points. Like the pizza, when we order pizza it goes to the TCB check point at the edge of the city, and we go pick it up from the check point. You see, we have little need to go to the city for anything, just from that simple example. Furthermore there are store owners in the city that make said goods. There is an Italian restaurant just a few blocks away that delivers – Antonio and his wife, they owned a place of the same name in Little Italy before their transformation. That aside," Doctor Wayne went a little rigid, "it was all well in the beginning, but the protein strain with the instructions to make the individual look human break down quickly. That's the fickle nature of – well – nature. Within twenty-seven hours the mutant will be what they are again as that's the life span of the protein. So, two times a month each mutant can appear to be human for twenty-seven hours."

He took another long breath, this one had him residing back to his mellow and stagnant manner. He frowned, "What I've come to realize, painfully so, is that this injection is both psychologically and physically addictive. It's become a highly addictive _drug_, and many of us have had serious withdraw symptoms from it. No longer is it a luxury item that gives us a glimpse of what we once had or want to remember or to obtain needed items or whatever cause you use it for. My purpose in stealing it is to find an antidote, or substitute for the chemical that causes the addiction. As for the psychological cases, well," he paused, his frown deepening into his face, "I'm afraid nothing can be done. It's the high of being human for the first time, or again, that makes them want more. Many young people, or old for that matter, feel segregated and dismissed by society. It's a way to be accepted and welcomed by the lager population beyond our borders." His eyes turned hard, determined as he let his gaze fall on each of them – boring into them as if he could see right into their souls through their eyes. "But for the others that are spending time in the psychiatric ward at the hospital because they want to kill themselves from the withdraw, or the ones who have, those are the ones we're fighting for. All of us – rather everyone who's taken it, myself included, have an addiction to this _medication_. This drug."

"If it's so addictive why don't they stop issuing it?" Leonardo asked slowly. He, like his brothers, was trying to process the lump of information that had been dumped on him. The thing that troubled him the most, of all the things the doctor had said, was that these people – embraced by their own – only felt comfortable among that of humankind. They had no idea what solitude was.

"I've tried pitching that to the TCB as well," He said solemnly. "But they won't hear it. To complicate matters the masses don't want it to be removed from their lives. No one wants it removed, we just want it enhanced. Even within my cause, my plan, they won't issue me more than our two doses per month. I've gone as far as to request to be moved into the TCB labs were I would have no contact with any other mutants just to work on a new serum. But they won't hear it. They think I'm better suited with the people. They think I'd have problems being withdrawn from the group as well as my valued profession. Therefore I have to resort to stealing it."

His honesty proved that he cared little for their opinion with his choice in stealing the drug, more he wanted them to understand that he was strong, if not unmoving, in his convictions on the matter. He had seen too much death, too many pains and too much suffering for it to continue. If that meant theft to work on a cure – then so be it. "I've gone months without Po-Mo, not being able to go into the city for needed items just so I could use my own injections to test on. But it runs out quickly when you only have two doses to test each month. I'm no chemist, I'm a veterinarian. I have some, but limited, knowledge of the actual science behind the complex chemistry. It's difficult to create a substitute with such limited doses and so futile labs. And we can't leave the city through the check points when we haven't used the Po-Mo, so we use the sewers. We've never gone through the western ducts, that's why – I assume – we've never discovered you before. We needed a new path, they were becoming familiar with our route for escaping with the goods. No doubt Sebastian brought you up through the sewer junction trap I improvised making in the downstairs bedroom."

"Yes. I must say though doctor, this is all overwhelming." Donnie, the one who understood the most at the deepest scientific levels, joined the conversation again. Where Leo saw the effects on the psyche and the way the people reacted to certain aspects, Don was finding flaws in the science. He ran a hand of his brow in flustered confusion, not really sure where to start. "You mean TCRI knows about all of this? Why not repeatedly use the serum as a 'cure' – why only two doses per month?"

"Of course they know. I've been in their facilities, my collogues have been there. We've pitched our cause to them, but they care even less. They're caught up in their own troubles, which I suppose I can respect as it's our troubles we're bothering them with. However, it's clear that they're resentful that the TCB is insistent that they help. I'm under the impression that they have little or no remorse for what they've done to us." He sighed yet again. Defeat seemed to follow the man, it was evident in his very being.

"Originally the Po-Mo was thought to be a permanent repair. There's two issues though. Firstly, it makes everyone human – it doesn't correct and it assumes that everyone wants to be a human; even A-based mutants. It's an unfair bias. Some of us like being mutants too. The other problem is more scientific and more damning. The RNA sequencing being fed to the DNA is corrupt by the proteins when over exposure to the protein strains occur. Over exposure is overuse. The effects are dramatic and always painful as well as terminal – in all cases. We've seen a range of areas effected, but the root is same. The proteins start cellular breakdown. We've seen liquefaction of cells causing an Ebola-like effect in which the body essentially liquefies within the confines of the skin. We start to see holes developing in vital organs, primarily the brain for a mad cow-like effect. We've seen massive system failure based on halting of vital functions for no apparent reason. It always kills and there's no way to repair the damage once it's been done. The 'safe' limit determined by the TCB is 2 doses per month; that's why it's become the magic number in the care packages. But I'm sure you're wondering how much actually consists of over exposure. It's really difficult to speculate as no one in their right mind wants to test it – nor would I endorse such an act. 2 doses in a row won't cause that sort of effect, even 3 or 4 probably wouldn't. 5, maybe even 6, spread out over the course of a month won't put into effect the horrors of what can happen. Constant and prolonged exposure will. That's why the drug they thought could 'cure' us only made us addicted and dependent."

"Is there any research being done now?" Donatello asked with a frown.

Mike's attention had waned again, but this time he had the prospect of more food to distract him.

"By TCRI?" Doctor Wayne snorted. It would have been laughable how much he sounded like a displeased dog when he snorted, if the situation weren't so sever. "No. TCRI is interested in nothing but their own causes. However the government has made leaps in bounds in corrective research. Gene splicing, came from testing on us. Gene therapy was another failed attempt for us, it worked for the human population though. Cloning, stem cell research…all of it came from an attempt to help turn us to what we were previously. Mainly because we're expendable and typically they can easily get willing volunteers."

"Hold the phone," Mikey dropped his pizza crust with wide eyes. That part he understood fully. His hands went up in mock surrender as he continued to stare at the doctor unblinking. "Does that mean…you know, _back_ to what we _were_…_previously_?"

"I'm afraid so Michelangelo." The doctor's eyebrows knitted together. "Most research projects are aimed at the H-base mutants. If for the fact that scientists are more eager to correct humanity or for the fact that H-base mutants tend to be more persistent; I'm unsure. They haven't realized, or they don't care, that if they were to find a reversal to the mutagen that it would make A-based mutants animals again."

"I see," Donatello said tentatively, standing up and crossing the room. He had the overwhelming urge to be moving. He didn't like a single revelation that had been produced. Perhaps the existence of other mutants – thousands – was encouraging, but the side effects were too many to ignore.

"They will have to come to another solution for those who are A-based, that don't want to change. The TCB can't just ask that sentient and conscious minds are given up. That would be like genocide." Doctor Wayne stated matter-of-factly. "We have very few rights, except within our own community. The people from the TCB treat us with little respect if any at all. That's part of the reason the TCB does nothing to stop with the addictive drugs they send us. We are only partially human to them and therefore a lesser form of life.

"I want to hide nothing from you, though I also don't want to dissuade you. If you're registered you might be selected for 'random research'. It may or may not include testing new procedures on you, or trying to figure out how and why you function, harsh physiological tests even physical tests. I've been lucky enough to avoid being selected, however everyone knows about the things they do to try and better understand us. None of it is relevant, and I really wouldn't want to sway your decision; however if you would like my opinion I will willing give it to you."

"We would appreciate your advice as you have experience," Leonardo responded immediately without second thought.

"I would say to stay the hell away from the registration kiosk." He said in sincerity, there was a fragment of a hint of something else in his tone. "You are welcome in my home, as often as you'd like for as long as it's safe to you. The city won't know the difference…as long as you act like you're registered. Come and go as you like, but steer clear of the TCB officials they'll spot you a mile away. They do their best to know everyone."

Doctor Wayne stood briskly and strode to the window and peered out into the street. The sun had sunk behind the skyscrapers some time ago and the dark of night was falling onto the city. A few families scuttled about. He turned back to them. "Please make yourselves comfortable. I would suggest staying here tonight. You're more likely to be discovered on the streets at night – they're patrolled pretty heavily by TCB agents. Even the sewers below the city. They've caught on to many of our people exiting that way. Perhaps tomorrow I can show you around the city."

"May I? I have another question," Don held up a hand and then gestured to the vial in his hand. "Why were there human children in the streets? Are they within the twenty-seven hours of their Po-Mo?"

"Some," the doctor nodded, "others were born that way. Rarely will mutants bare mutant children. In the cases of matching mutant lovers there is a chance that a child produced will be mutant, if you understand the biology. We are partially human and partially animal, you see. In short for a child to be produced in mismatched mutant pairs the only conceivable matching chromosomes would be that of their human halves, therefore human children are produced from mutant parents. With mutants of the same species, take for example myself – a dog, if I were to breed with another dog mutant and my partner were to become pregnant there is about a 33 percent chance that our offspring will be that of a dog mutant because we each have matching mutant dog chromosomes. On the other hand we have about a 33 percent chance that that child would be born human. You see? And in another 33 percent chance that child could be born as a regular pup – maybe even a dozen or so; a litter as it were.

"However that is only within mutants of the same species. It's not feasible for a dog and a turtle, for example, to produce a mutant dog-turtle offspring. If a dog and a turtle were to produce a child it would only be human, in all situations. That's why you find some human children among us. Thus far those children are not taken from their parents; however we haven't heard a concrete conclusion on what to do with them in the long term. I believe the oldest child in our community is four. It's difficult to produce offspring, for the rare nature in which the proper chromosomes would have to meet. If you don't have a same species partner you have a fifty percent less chance of even having compatible chromosomes. And with the statistical numbers in which it takes to induce a viable pregnancy in a race or breed our fertility rate is low. Furthermore despite the logical statistics all broken in thirds its been determined that the majority, even in like species of mutant, of offspring are human. There are some mutant children born. For some unknown reason it's extraordinarily rare to find like parents produce non sentient animal offspring. That cause has need to facilitate more research which I'm sure the TCB has well underway." The bitterness was there again.

"What?" Mikey asked, he was clearly clueless about everything the doctor had explained. "Ya lost me back at understanding biology."

Don shook his head, "Don't worry about it Mikey, it doesn't effect you. Though I find it all very fascinating. Could you tell me more doctor?"

"Perhaps another time, for now I must rest. You should do the same." It has been becoming increasingly obvious that the entirety of the explanation was taking its toll on the man. The amount of energy and emotion that was put into various aspects, on top of a day at work was wearing him thin.

The four brothers watched him move slowly to the back of the home. He returned briefly to issue them blankets and pillows. He explained at the couch turned into a bed and that there was a guest room in the hall. He gave them a short nod and bid them goodnight.

Mike was still nearly bursting with energy and it was obvious to his brothers. Raph put a hand on his should and pushed him lightly down. The pent up energy rippled through Mike's muscles and had him bouncing lightly until Raph thrust him onto the couch. "Chill." He warned the young eager brother. "What the hell was all that?" He swung to face Don.

"Yeah dude, rewind." Mike added, now bouncing on the couch to release some of the eagerness. "Start from the beginning and tell us in English." He then held up a hand with a sly sideways smile. "And the Reader's Digest version."

Leo's eyes too were expectantly on Don as he stood steadfast in his spot hoping for the same sort of abridged version to verify he'd deciphered it all correctly. Don had glanced at Raph when he started talking, then transferred to Mike as he added his inevitable two cents, and finally they landed on Leo. He sighed lightly, it was all becoming more daunting with each minute his mind re-reeled over the information. He enjoyed it, but the prospect of a drug both fascinated him (in a way he wasn't entirely comfortable) and terrified him. He hated that he even knew about it.

"I think the moral is very simple, there are more mutants. Thousands. That part I'm guessing you guys got rather clearly."

"Duh." Mike gestured toward his brother with a slice of pizza he had commandeered. "Tell us the important stuff – the stuff we didn't know."

"Yeah, right." Don said half heartedly, with his eyes set on Mike. He finally pulled them away to look at Leo. He had heard the slight interest Raph had expressed in the ability to walk the streets of New York; that too had Don concerned. He was trying to find a way to make it sound as horrible as it was; and perhaps convince himself outside of his head that it was out of the question for experimenting on. However, if there was one thing Don knew he wasn't – it was persuasive. He was far too scientific minded and objected than to slant an argument with charisma, the way Leo might be able to.

"Alright, I'll do my best to sum up without the science; but really you guys should consider learning about that too because it's fascinating." From the random looks he got from his brothers ranging from scathing to dumbfounded awe he shook his head with an annoyed and unfathomable consideration of them. He'd never understand how they couldn't appreciate the explanation behind the story. "There's a drug that will turn mutants human for 27 hours. To receive it you have to registered with this government agency that likely logs and keeps a census of mutants for random testing. The drug though, Po-Mo it's called, is addictive and dangerous too. The doctor is stealing this drug to find an antidote for the addictive property of it. The city works on check points in which you have to check out when you've used this drug and check back in when you return, as well as check in anything you buy in the city. The check points are also a way to interface with the bigger city beyond the smaller mutant city; again run by the government agency – so to use the service you'd have to be registered. What I don't get is why he's embraced us and not turned us in." Don looked to Leo, hoping he would have some insight as to why that would be.

Leo turned one corner of his mouth down and gave a brief nod. He'd considered it as well. "Though he holds something over us – our anonymity; we hold something over him in turn." Leo offered. "We came to know him through his use of the system. Though his causes might be noble and with the right agenda it doesn't make the situation any less theft. If he turned us over we could do the same, particularly since we know the new route in which they take to transport the stolen serum. I think it's his proverbial olive branch."

"I think the real moral," Mike kicked back against the couch cushions, bracing his head with his hands as he looked toward the ceiling with an amused grin on his face, "is that bros, this means we can go on vacation. Cali or Fla– or…both! I'm not diggin' the Seattle bit, too much rain and cold. Ooo! Do you think they have mutant vacation spots, like we could scope out the beaches?" He'd long since sat up rigidly, full of excitement. He looked at each of them with wide eyes and a brimming smile.


	6. Get Me Through the Day

**Nose Over Tail****  
><strong>Chapter 5:  
><span>Get Me Through the Day<span>

There was a dull ache in the back of Leo's neck as he started to come around, it was no doubt caused by the sleeping arrangements. He slowly pulled himself up, his hand moved to the tender spot on his neck. There were new sun rays filtering in from the outside landing on his awkwardly sprawled out brothers who were sleeping at odd angles on the ground, or pull out couch. He smiled lightly, it was a rare scene indeed. It happened – though not often – that they were able to wake to the feel of the sun kissing their skin.

It seemed like there were a lot of changes to consider on the horizon. He was no closer to making a decision on the matter than he had the night before. He considered for a moment that the knot in his neck could be from the worry, thought, stress and decision that would have to be made regarding all that had been revealed the night before.

Silently Leo moved to his feet and slipped silently past Don first, then Mikey and even Raph. His hand moved over his katana blades lying on the table, as if he were absorbing their intrinsic energy. He had placed them there with care – he remembered it well. It was like putting an old friend to rest, but his caution and care was only disrupted by Mikey's slapping down of his weapons lazily. It wasn't in Mikey to care, rather, it wasn't in him to notice his carelessness. Raph was disgruntled about having to unsheathe hissais; so he planted them down with force and aggression. Don was the only one who paused aside Leo, he carefully placed an understanding hand on Leo's shoulder and gingerly added his Bo to the pile.

He considered taking them, but thought better of it. He'd heard it time and time again – the city was safe. It wasn't the reassurance that the city was safe in which helped Leo's decision, it was the attention he would draw by having them. However he wanted to see just how safe it was, without a chaperon or Mike's excited points and squeals, Don's incessant questions and no doubt Raph's intrigue, even if it would be silent or begrudging.

His art held true as he managed slipping out the door without making the slightest of noises. His craft might be designed for the dark and shadows, but it remained just as intensely perfected even in the daylight hours.

The moment his feet met the pavement Leo felt a scarce freedom; it was something that he rarely had the luxury of. There was little going on by way of city. It was quiet and by the look of the sun, barely inching up into the sky, a little past 7 am. He considered it for a moment, the doctor had said many worked. He wondered why no one was on their way to said employment if it was so common. His singular thought was disrupted by the resounding echoing of symphonic bells. He turned cautiously to the sound.

Towering over him was an enormous gothic building, it too was the origin of the nearly musical sound. They were so subtracted from society and from the daily inane activities that he didn't realize what day it was; and what day it must be. Church. Sunday. He stood silent and still, watching the unmoving building and taking in the sound it was projecting. Though he would consider himself spiritual he would not say the same for religious. They were segregated in his mind, but that didn't subtract the intrigue he had in the practice nor the respect he held for those who did find comfort in ritual.

He watch a family, rather a mother with two children, scurry toward the building. She was hurrying them but the little girl's eyes were fixed on Leo as her mother pulled her along. When she noticed that she'd caught his eye she smiled brightly at him, despite the (one of three) finger in her mouth. The family, all of them, were somewhere on the order of fox – perhaps wolf or even dingo. Leo wasn't sure.

The mother took no note of what her child was doing as the boy marched along obediently and the easily distracted little girl kept her head facing the direction of Leo. He couldn't help but watch her as she watched him. It was still so surreal to him, the idea that they truly weren't alone. He wondered if that little girl, that mother, or even the inline little boy, knew how much they were granted. The mother had to stop and snap something at the little girl just before she reached for the massive handle to the door. The girl gave her mother a fleeting look before glancing back at Leo, whatever words were issued to the little girl seemed to be dismissed as quickly as they were issued. She beamed a wild grin at him, delighted that she still had his attention. She couldn't be more than five. With that she waved briskly, a genuine friendly gesture, before her mother tugged her into the building and they disappeared; probably for forever from his little world.

He had lifted his hand to issue a wave back and found himself standing still in that posture with a little dumbfounded look on his face. It harbored on a goofy grin. It was moments like these that reminded him what they were fighting for, why they trained everyday. For Raph it might be an endurance trial, for Don an experiment of sorts, and for Mikey simply something to do. But for Leo it was an effort to yield a transcended existence. One in which he was part of a whole, _part_ of that which was the ecology of the planet. It was his contribution to society. And he took pride in it. As his hand fell back to his side he realized it, he was prideful – perhaps not boastful, but a measure of it, enough to make him good at what he did.

"Name – don't think I seen you before, have I?" Leo's moment of epiphany was shattered as he felt the daunting gaze of someone on him, forget the words uttered to him in a distasteful sort of snarl, it was the piercing glare that had Leo fighting the urge to simply fall into a fighting stance both as a threat and a defense all in one neat little package. He was filtering quickly through the things the doctor had said the night before as well as the overview Don gave him, rummaging for the right thing to say – something that wouldn't immediately give him away.

He turned to look at the man, a human man, in a particular sort of uniform. He could only assume it was a government issued TCB get up. He looked something like a glorified police officer. "I know all the citizens – but don't reckon I know you." He said. His drawl was something southwestern; it was evident that he wasn't a city fellow. Leo chided himself for even bothering to waste his time thinking on that while he should be formulating a retort.

"I've just come from one of the other communities." Leo wondered how far he could stretch the truth, as he had a rather – well resilient in this case – policy on not fabricating full lies. "Florida, just outside ofOrlando." He said swiftly. He recalled the doctor mentioning the locations as well as a detail about mutants in their animal's natural habitat. His breed of turtle, from what he could discern, would be indigenous to the southeast. These two things coupled would, he hoped, make a believable story.

"Just come eh?" The man stroked his chin in thought. "What's your name?"

The other two statements, when put together made for a deduction that his previous 'community' was the one that existed inFlorida, though he'd never directly said that. But now he was faced with a rather pointed question he was sure he couldn't avoid. As he opened his mouth to retort another voice entered the conversation.

"My my, up already. Hello Sammy," it was a familiar voice to Leo that had him inwardly sighing with relief. The doctor who had only just ambled out of his door spotted them and made his way briefly over to them. "You've met my friend then." The agent's mouth had opened to speak but then closed and he merely nodded. "Did you – have anything further to add officer? If not it would be ideal if we could be on our way. There's always a sick patient awaiting care."

The man nodded a second time. It was clear that he was having an internal debate with how to proceed but after several excruciating seconds of his inner turmoil he gave a third, more convicted, shake of his head. "Good day doctor." He only arched an eyebrow at Leo, who had fallen silent smartly allowing Dr. Wayne to take the lead.

"Move quickly and with purpose, follow me. Pretend like you know where you're going." The doctor instructed Leo from the corner of his mouth in a low voice. Leo thought he heard an edge of scolding in the shaggy dog's tone, but his mannerisms were still too new to the leader for Leo to be certain. He didn't question or even hesitate, the turtle fell in step with the doctor.

Several blocks away, the whole while Leo was trying desperately not to even give a passing glance to anything or anyone, the gruff and curt doctor spoke again. "Even if you had a lapse in judgment you should be thankful it didn't extend as far as those weapons you carry. You would have been taken you know? Registered. I'm warning you – and I'll only do it once – you must consider it deeply before you choose a path; either of them. There are certainly benefits, but there are draw backs. I hope you learn them before you're forced to choose." There was a glean in the old dog's eyes that was very serious. "You wouldn't want it to be a mistake you _have_ to make."

Leo was reeling, it was bad enough that he'd so erroneously behaved – an antic that wasn't typically reserved for him. But to be caught at it on two separate fronts was down right horrific for the stoic leader. Unlike his other brothers he didn't take it shamefully, he lifted his head – and stood tall with his already squared shoulders and erect posture. He gave a single and determined nod. "I understand." He said truthfully. The fact was he did understand, at least on some level, that this was not a decision to be made lightly and certainly not by accident. Though there were boons and rewards for being able to stand so openly, it was a luxury he would take with more caution than he'd previously done. The city might be safe in one manner, but it certainly was a loaded sort of statement – _safe_ came in many shapes, sizes, flavors and colors.

Leo had glanced to the side for only a second, to make sure they'd completely evaded the agent called Sammy. It was mild to say he was on edge. Leo was more than that – his attention was keen, set and determined. Letting his guard down, even for the briefest of seconds, had proven a grave misjudgment on his part; it was a mistake he didn't mean to repeat, ever. However, there was a sudden yelp that came from the direction of the doctor. Leo swung back just in time to see a man, human in nature, nearly collapse – but it had been his hand slapping down on the doctor's shoulder that had the usually emotionless doctor react in such a surprised manner.

Leo lunged forward skillfully grabbing hold of the tumbling man. Doctor Wayne, seconds later, mimic Leo's quick reflexes as he was made aware that there was no threat. Both seemed to have a moment of simultaneous agreement or deduction as they both lowered the man to the pavement. Doctor Wayne was already pulling back the lids of the man's closed eyes peering into them for pupil dilation and Leo couldn't help but note the dry and cracked skin flaking off his lips. There was the tiniest bit of crusty white at the corners of his mouth – like a horse that chomped on the bit too hard or too long.

"Help me." The doctor said tauntly through tight lips. He slipped his arms under the arms of the man. His head snapped up to Leo and then glanced back down at the man's legs. "I'll need you to help me carry him to the hospital. It's only just over there." The doctor nodded in the direction that led up the road. "He's one of ours."

Despite his overwhelming urge to stand and stare at the sprawled out man, clearly considering what had happened to him, Leo helped hoist him up. The doctor was tall and the human they carried sloped between the two of them as Leo was a good deal shorter. He was a burden on them – even with their joined effort of carrying the dead weight. Leo considered suggesting just one of them carry him, but he knew well enough that it would be a significantly larger burden than the shared one between them; not to mention he had no concept of what could be wrong with him and slinging him over one of their shoulders might not be the best idea for his condition.

The doctor was muttering indiscernible words, but his furry brow was furrowed in aggravation as his eyes flicked between their burden and the road from time to time. He seemed plainly displeased. Finally he jerked his head, as he had no hands with which to point, at a white building off to the left. "It's here."

Leo took the direction with ease and together they managed wrangling the door and shuffling through the atrium of the establishment. It was awkward the way they had to take him, hold him, and even move him. He looked quite uncomfortable to Leo, jaunting about with their steps and erratic sort of movement. His head even bobbed about like a rag doll's gourd jerking painfully and sharply with them. He seemed completely unconscious save for the few minor moans that escaped him once in awhile. The doctor's strides were longer as his legs were ganglier than the stout turtle's robust build. Leo took note of the people waiting and their boring and intrigued gazes as the trio moved into a smaller room.

The doctor reached out and kicked the door shut with his foot. "The table – put him on the table." The old dog's head pointed again to the only place he possibly could have meant. There was a solitary platform squarely situated in the center of the room. Leo didn't bother looking at the cabinets that had briefly caught his eye the second they entered the room, he also ignored the various jars and obvious medical equipment strewn about the room.

The turtle had to pull the man's legs up to get him on the table. The doctor was expediently swooping around the table toward Leo, it would be a moment before the young leader realized that a pallet of drugs were strategically placed behind him. The doctor was still mumbling, with more haste now – in a more aggravated fashion. He didn't make it to Leo as there was a smacking sound and then a crash. The doctor swung in his spot and Leo's head perked in the direction of the ruckus.

The man on the table had gone into convulsions. His head was slapping hard against the solid table and his body thrashed dramatically enough to threaten thrusting him off the surface completely. Doctor Wayne had already rushed back and was trying to get a grip on him. "The blue box, behind you. Open it." The doctor instructed shortly to Leo in a raised voice. There was a momentary lull in the turtle's ability to comprehend as he was left rigid. His eyes were fixed on the man still moving about under the doctor's grasp. There was white viscous foam flowing freely from his mouth now and his slightly open eyes seemed to be trained on him. He'd never been in a hospital and though he'd witness the sour taste of death and the bitter lashing of disgusting wounds he'd never seen anything like this. "LEONARDO!"

It was exactly what he needed to hear to bring him out of the horror that was unfolding before him. The doctor's hand was jutted out pointing at the table behind him in which Leo immediately spotted the blue tub. He reached in and pulled out a single syringe. He thrust it back to the doctor who accepted it readily. Leo wanted desperately to leap in, but this was a battle he didn't even begin to pretend to understand. He figured he could do more harm than good if he even attempted to assist the doctor outside of his direct instructions.

There was a small snap as the doctor held the cap of the needle with his back molars and snatched the needle out of its protective casing. He spit the plastic sheath on the floor carelessly. There was a second, more chilling, pop as he didn't even hesitate – jabbing the silvery point into the man's exposed shoulder. The skin breaking to accept the shaft made the second sound that embedded the noise in Leo's mind, branding it there forever. It would have been nothing under different circumstanced, but coupled with that which he was witnessing engraved the terrible sound in his head. Leo watched the doctor drain the vile of clear liquid into the man and slowly he began to go still. Within seconds, that seemed to be minutes – if not hours, the man was positively still.

The commotion had died briefly, there was a stillness – unnatural – that settled in the room. Leo's eyes were fixed on the doctor, hoping for another round of to-do's. His standing absently amid the chaos was raking his soul baring it with raw marks.

Doctor Wayne, however, had angrily thrown the expended syringe into a red box with the three pronged bio-hazard symbol on it. After which he leaned on the counter, placing all his weight into his palms as he let his head fall forward briefly.

"Is he going to die?" Leo asked, unblinking and slightly hesitant to hear the response.

"No." The retort came crisply. "Not this time." The doctor pushed off from the counter and swung to face Leo, who had taken a few steps forward. "But that's not to say that next time, or the time after he won't. This is Mojo – it isn't the first time he's lain on this very table after the same symptoms. And I highly doubt it'll be the last. He was probably begrudgingly on his way here and it's a good thing he intercepted us – or vice versa, I'm not entirely certain who found who at this point – or he might not survive. He needs medical treatment."

Leo was taking in the words, absorbing them – reflecting on them. It was more than evident that the man needed medical care. Leo still thought he might expire on the table no matter how his chest moved raggedly with his unconscious breaths. His eyes moved down to the man on the table. There was still a tendril of some whitish liquid trailing from his mouth and out onto the table. Then, without warning, there was a retched gurgling sound and the man, the doctor had called Mojo, projectile vomited every ounce of fluid in his stomach.

Both fully conscious men leapt back, narrowly missing a head on assault of bile and other stomach liquids. The man groaned and his eyes fluttered open just long enough to glower dubiously at the location he was quite clearly familiar with. His hands went to his stomach as he rolled in his spot as if a child with a soar belly.

Doctor Wayne reached behind Leo's head and snatched the cabinet door open. "It ends now." This mumble Leo caught quite clearly as he pulled out yet another syringe, this one empty, and a vial of something. The doctor filled the small syringe, tapped it with the needle facing upward, and squirted a little of the liquid out of the top. This, Leo knew, was to get the air out of it. After which he moved over to the table.

Out of the corner of his eye Mojo caught the movement and it was obvious that he was aware enough to know it was directed at him. He shot up in his spot, sitting bolt upright on the table. He stared two dopey eyes at Leo and then twisted his head around to look at the doctor. As far as Leo could tell he seemed like some feral creature, nearly unaware of any behavior he was exhibiting.

"NO!" He snarled, or rather attempted to snarl. His aggressive mannerisms were slurred, as was his speech, and their poor execution played rather blatantly in his jerky movements. "10 hours, I got 10 hours – you ain't wastin' it." He raised a fist at the doctor clumsily and lazily at the doctor.

Unimpressed by the threat, Doctor Wayne used the same raised fist to jerk Mojo's arm out and plunge yet another injection into his arm. "Good boy." The doctor said mockingly and it took Mojo the entirety of the action to actually comprehend what had occurred. There was another, more disappointed and loud, groan that ejected from the human was he curled his lip at Doctor Wayne and shot a nasty glare at Leo, for being a conspirator in this, before he fell back onto the table.

As horrific as the thrashing and convulsions had been – this was worse. Leo took a few silent steps back, padding unnoticed away from the man. What he witnessed was like some bad B horror movie and one of the twisted episodes of _House_. The man's fingers dug into the edge of the table as he began to pant heavily. His chest heaved and he looked like he was trying to learn to breathe air for the first time. Grisly hair sprouted all over him and in what looked like a painful bone reconstruction his nose jutted out to portray a slight snout. Two floppy ears sprang from the skin on his head and a ripple through his body twisted it and he had to throw himself back against the table to fight the pain as the rest of his bone structure followed suit transforming him into a dog-man. There was cracking and popping, disjointing and other painful sounds and things to witness during the excruciating process.

Leo merely watched on. His ever present stoic nature was reflected on his face and not at all giving any hint to the things running through his mind. He wondered why anyone would do that to themselves on purpose. He knew of drugs, their hold on people, the constrictive way they controlled – but he couldn't fathom how one could be so weak to succumb to it in the first place.

The doctor held the syringe in front of the man's face. It appeared to be something he was passionate about as Doctor Wayne had been nothing but angry since Mojo entered. "This wouldn't have to be like this, when you force me to break down the proteins at an unnatural pace it's going to hurt. I hope you remember this. Now where did you get it? Because I know that the TCB distributions don't make you go into shock, dehydration and God knows what other trauma." Mojo gave a quite and gruff laugh. The doctor lashed out and caught the man by the front of his shirt. "Tell me!"

Mojo's hands came up and held onto the doctor's wrist. He was weak and barely holding onto consciousness yet still unwilling to release such information. Leo stepped forward, this was an aspect he felt comfortable contributing to. His own hand came lightly on the tall doctor's shoulder. "Not now." He offered softly. He watched the other dog's four fingered hand fall from Doctor Wayne's wrist and his large lumbering body, that had grown larger than the man he'd been previously, collapse on the table in some sort of rugged slumber.

Doctor Wayne merely turned his head toward Leo but didn't manage or bother making eye contact. "You have no idea." He retorted in a low, guttural grumble.

"That might be true," Leo accepted. He noted something odd in that moment. Both men were of dog nature; however, as Doctor Wayne reached out to reposition Mojo, Leo noted that he had four fingers and a thumb. Mojo had only three and a thumb. The conclusion was one he'd figured rather easily – perhaps there were differences in A-based and H-based mutants; just like he'd figured this man had taken some street version of the drug they all seemed to seek. Later he would reflect on it, later when he could be alone and without disturbance – now was definitely not that time. With a name like Mojo, unless he was a Purple Dragon thug, it was likely that he had been someone's house pet. "But this isn't the solution. There are other options to discover the location of his distributor."

Doctor Wayne's shoulders fell slightly and he turned back to the turtle. His angry expression dissipated to reveal once more the almost vacant expression. "Perhaps." Was his only reply.


	7. Come to Love Your Disappearing Act

**Nose Over Tail****  
><strong>Chapter 6:  
><span>Come to Love Your Disappearing Act<span>

Leo's head was swimming as he watched the doctor finish with his treatment of the man called Mojo. Now that the initial crisis was at a minimum Dr. Wayne had fallen back into his typical stoicism. Leo didn't like any of what he saw one bit. Typically he digested change with patience and ease, and though that's what he was displaying externally it was hardly what he was feeling on the inside. Despite the fact that he managed his emotions differently he often, on instinct, felt the same as Raph. He was simply more measured and more in control of how that translated into speech and action. Leo was centered.

He was anticipating the second he was free of this place so that he could reflect on the events and have time to actually make conscious decisions about what was happening. He made, what he considered, acceptable decisions on the fly, in the heat of the moment, but Leo knew he made the best decisions when he had time to consider all options. Furthermore he hated watching what the drug did to people, the extents it drove them to, and the control it had on them. He reserved that sort of discomfort and disgust for the heat of battle not in a controlled environment (or what he considered a controlled environment, what he didn't see was that this hospital was Dr. Wayne's battlefield) where he could hear every pop and bare witness to ever wound and dislocation.

Indeed he had helped patch up his brothers after battle, but the context was so vastly different he couldn't even correlate the two.

There was more than the drug though, there was the existence of the city itself. Though there was no questioning the lure of such a place the idea of simply ignoring its existence had crossed Leo's mind. In fact, that was the simplest way to proceed. He wished, intensely, that they had not stumble on it at all. He was already anticipating how his brothers would respond and was subsequently making counter arguments to their possible perceptions. There were so many levels of complication that Leo didn't even know where to start.

"Well…that's the best that can be done for now. He's sedated and hopefully suffering less pain than before." Dr. Wayne's voice pulled Leo out of the internal train of thought he was experiencing. His eyes looked up to the tall doctor. He only realized then that his arms were tightly folded across his plastron. Carefully he let them fall to his sides.

Leo gave a short nod before opening his mouth with the intention of offering his thanks for the help prior to being subject to drug induced horrors; but the door was unceremoniously thrown open and an awkward looking gangly monkey-girl stood in the doorway. Leo immediately closed his mouth and pushed his thanks to the back of his mind, filing it away for a later conversation.

"Dr. Wayne." She squawked.

"What now Sarah…" the doctor's head dropped a little and he went to busying himself at the sink washing his hands several times over.

The woman's eyes had nosily trailed over to Mojo and then to Leo where she issued him a rather pointed scowl before she shook her head with a wrinkle of her nose. "You _again_." She hissed before she began picking up on minor differences in this turtle's appearance from the one she'd seen the day prior. Despite her obvious distaste she made no excuse for her mistake and merely shrugged him off glancing back toward the doctor; dismissing Leo as swiftly as she had taken to ridiculing him inaccurately. She, in spite of her attempt at laziness, was rather clearly a wrapped up bundle of energy who was having difficulty keeping it in.

She bounced in her spot as she launched into speech. "The TCB, word's come in off the wire, they're calling for halt on all exits from the city. Forty-eight hour lock-down with possible extension."

Leo, regardless of not knowing any of the common jargon, understood exactly what that meant. He stiffened in his spot and fought the urge to turn to the doctor in a feeble attempt to read what might be written on the old dog's face. His voice told Leo all he needed to hear and the typically reserved leader felt his insides go icy.

"What?" 's mild-monotone raised several octaves and there was a rather urgent, if not terrified, edge to his singular word. The room went still as the three occupants were all trying to discern some absolute factors from this news. "Starting when?" The fear was absolutely present in the crack that echoed in the doctor's voice.

Leo's previously frozen interior lit painfully back to life as he realized that all of this could bode very poorly for his family. His attention was honed in on every syllable that was uttered in the room, though he opted – for now – to be the patient observer.

Sarah had stopped bouncing and she too looked fretful, if only from the response she was getting from the doctor. Her behavior, mannerisms and speech, were influenced by queues put forth by the doctor himself. She twisted her hands around one another as nerves had somehow taken hold of her and her previously animated tail hung limply behind her. Her head fell forward as if she were a scolded child. She had entirely forgotten that Leo was there at all and the fact that Mojo might be dying on the table was no longer an interest to her at all. "Uh…I don't – er – now." She managed forcing out.

Again stillness settled on the room and Leo watched the doctor's eyes fall slowly shut as an expression of defeat briefly graced his face. He looked back to the woman the doctor had called Sarah. "What does that mean…exactly?" Leo demanded his voice to remain even as he issued his singular question.

"They're here!" Sarah's head snapped around, back toward the direction of the lobby as she hissed out the words in a low warning. Her head whipped back around and her large black eyes landed on the doctor. Even in her bitter resentment of her own situation as well as her foul attitude regarding almost everything there was a shared mentality among their kind, which she – like all the other mutants – inherently adopted. She might have found Mikey revolting for what he thought was cute and Leo not far behind him, simply on principle, even if he hadn't spoken nearly as much as his brother; as well as other questions about who either were that could easily be answered but she really didn't care to know either way.

"Hide." Dr. Wayne and Sarah's single warning to Leo came out simultaneously and unscripted but with the same amount of warning and haste.

He didn't need to be told twice. Before either had turn to look at him Leo was already darting over to a closed window. He didn't even think about what might be on the other side or the next course of action, as that would be managed when it needed to be, as he silently pulled the window open and just as silently vanished beyond the chiffon curtain.

The balls of his feet were barely narrower than the exterior ledge of the outer sill. It took all his concentration and skill to stay perched precariously against the ledge; of which he carefully drew his head up to look toward the top of the building. Hanging from the exterior of the hospital wasn't the most inconspicuous place he could be; particularly in the early-day rays of sun. There was a similar ledge several inches above his head.

"Dr. Wayne – it's good to see you..." the voice was coming nearer to the window. He sprang upward catching the tips of his fingers against the ledge above. There was a moment in which he thought he might actually lose the grip he had. It took a few seconds of refocusing after the initial rush of fear that he might fall passed. He swung himself carefully and hoisted himself onto the sill just above. He let out a soft breath just as the voice made to the window. "What's this patient being treated for?"

Leo blocked out the voices from there as not to be distracted by any words that might be exchanged. He leapt again, expertly repeating the process – and then again until he landed with the grace of a jungle cat on the roof. It was only once he actually made it to the rooftop that he realized he was more trapped than he'd ever been. Ideally he wanted to make it to his brothers but they were several blocks away and though this environment called for more ease of movement among the masses, even during daylight, Leo knew he was more constricted for the fact that even though he might visually fit in among the people his inexperience with groups socially would draw attention faster than any time he'd been among the human side of New York City. The cruel irony was not lost on the young leader as he paced the exterior of the rooftop debating his options, his worry for his brothers mounted as the seconds ticked passed.


	8. Running Out of Time

****Nose Over Tail**  
><strong>Chapter 7:  
><span>Running Out of Time<span>

"I think the first thing I'm going to do is make friends." Mikey commented lightly - cheerfully and in a typical energetic manner. "Then I'm going to walk on the street, then I'm going to eat inside of the restaurant - at the tables where they **_serve _**_you_, and-"

"What restaurant Mikey?" Donnie seemed distracted, only half hearing his brother and cut him off in passing. He figured Mike could go on forever and neither he nor Raph were really in the mood for one of Mikey's hour long explorations of his interests. It was Leo, and his absence, that had Don distracted. Had Leo not been missing Don would have been horrified and his response highly different. He would have certainly said something about Mikey's seeming acceptance of all they'd learned the night before without any additional consideration to the prospect; his blind decision to do what was immediately appealing. Of all of them, Don thought, Mike was the one who would most easily jump at the chance to be exposed to others and be the most likely for success without much effort.

"The ones where they serve you." Mike said firmly and paused, looking wide-eyed at Don. "I just said that, duh."

"Shut it Mikey." Raph said, smacking Mikey's bald head with a certain amount of conviction, having gotten annoyed by the nonstop chatter from his boisterous brother. The only sound was the retaliated moan from Mike indicating that he was aware by Raph's attack. Clearly he wasn't truly pained by the 'attack' or he would have been more vocal and perhaps even lashed back physically out of auto-defense which would have ended in a good natured tussle. Instead he just tucked his head down and moaned an 'owww' as he threw his arms up to protect his dome. "Don't know if you noticed but Leo's missing." He snapped in a definitive snarky tone, which - for Raph, was a clear indication of his worry.

"Yeah bro, I got that part." Mikey said. "But...ya know - if any of us _had_ to go _missing_," he drew out the word, mocking Raph's, "better him than **_you_**." He grinned widely, teasingly. "At least Leo is responsible, level-headed, makes good decisions," he stated calmly as he ticked each off on his fingers while addressing the topic like he was a school child reciting something he'd been forced to memorize, "you know - all those Leo-ish Leo traits."

Don sighed heavily, having been able to easily predict what was about to come as Mikey was entirely oblivious to the fact that he might as well have been taunting a raging bull. Don was just about to interject, in a ditch effort to rescue Mike from his own blind idiocy, and suggest they consider a plan for hunting their leader down when the door smacked open. All three brothers fell silent and sprang to their feet beside one another. In their own way each expected Leo and were hopeful for his arrival.

However it was not their anticipated brother but two strangers instead. Both looked as if they'd been in a rush. The taller of the two, a lanky and lean man covered in feathers with a yellow protruding beak, pressed the door closed and leaned his forehead against it; panting heavily as he did so. The other was much shorter than the bird man and had turned to face them. "Whoa." He breathed out upon spotting the three turtles.

At least two feet shorter than the gangly birdman, who had to duck to get in the door, he was slightly taller and a bit leaner than the three ninja brothers. However he was also decked in a heavy shell and thick leathery turtle skin. His skin was primarily black but along his neck, up over his nose and to the corners of his eyes, were thin yellowish-green stripes. His shell was also dark and lacking in the lighter patterns the three turtle brothers had. His mouth was slightly agape as he stared but he leaned over and poked the skinny birdman in the ribs. "Did you hear me? I said...whoa..." he mumbled slowly, his eyes still round and unblinking. "Turtles." He said pointing with his other hand at the three brothers.

"Don't know what that's like." He said a mere second later as he grinned at them, the lighter stripes on his face pulled back and accentuated the smile making his face look much broader than it actually was because of the decorative colorizations. Mike blinked, it would take some getting used to for that to become customary, as it stood it just made him look strange and 'Joker' like. Raph was the one to note that he too was heaving in breaths as if he'd been running like a bat out of hell from the shock.

"Is the doctor here?" The birdman had swung around and peered at the three occupants of the house. If he was startled by their presence it didn't show on his long, narrow face but his beady eyes bore into them and his tone was entirely sharp and businesslike.

"What's the hurry?" Raph barked back, though for him it was cordial. Don sucked in a breath because of how coarse Raph's common mannerisms were. In fact the tech savvy turtle knew his brother to be testing the waters. He wasn't challenging the birdman so much as he was trying to learn how to accept, or reject, him.

"Is he here?" The feathers obviously ruffled and gave full meaning to the phrase - don't ruffle your feathers - as he puffed up a good deal larger than he appeared prior by the fluffy plumage. A gruff sound, that harbored on a half laugh and half snort, echoed in return from the back of Raph's throat. The birdman's companion intervened, however, clearly having felt the tension just as Don had. His hand moved to poke the man in the ribs again.

"Chillax would ya Dade - I don't think they're going to bite and we sprung up on their relaxation time. You dudes aren't here to steal stuff." He stated more than asked as if he was quickly and backhandedly warning them to lie if they needed to as his eyes flicked over to the three brothers. "Therefore I think it's safe to assume," he shrugged and held his shoulders up for a few seconds longer than a passing expression in more of a full out gesture, "they're guests of the doc. You know - that means _welcome_ here." He explained to the man he'd called 'Dade' and let his shoulders fall. The way he said it could be misconstrued for condescending in the manner in which he drew the words out and explained pointedly what he meant; but Dade seemed to ease slightly.

"Fine." Dade hissed slinking back only slightly, however it seemed to be enough of an indication for the other man to take the lead, which was confirmed a moment later. "You deal with them Aiden."

"Don't mind him." The turtleman, called Aiden, waved off to his side gesturing to the white feathered birdman. "That's just Dade, he's sort of always like that. It can be - _whoa_ annoying but most of the time we just threaten to whip out the tar and he shuts right up. Huh pookie?" The stripe necked turtle batted his eyelids at Dade who seemed nonplussed with the smaller man's teasing. He merely huffed and turned away disgruntled, folding his arms over his chest. "Now maybe if I say life or death is the hurry would you tell us if the doc's here?" He placed his attention on Raph who had been the one to speak.

"I'd say who's life?" Raph taunted with a smirk at one side of his mouth.

"He's not." Don stepped up, his eyes had not left Aiden as he seemed thoroughly intrigued that another mutant turtle existed. "Why though? what's going on? Is someone hurt?"

"Think you could help if they were?" Dade snapped before Aiden could respond but the thicker, shorter man jammed an elbow in the lean abdomen of the birdman and he coughed in return.

"I was just kiddin' about the life or death thing and like I said - don't mind him." Aiden grinned. "He's just overly cautious and annoyingly suspicious and highly-" Aiden had started cheerfully but Dade's folded arms tightened, his beak puckered and he growled a harsh '_enough_' that made Aiden pause in his list. "Suit yourself, I was working on your charming traits, wait until I get to the vices." Aiden winked and turned his attention back to Don but Mikey had been bouncing excitedly in his spot as if too much energy and eagerness had entered his body and he had no other way to release it than to squirm where he stood.

"I'm Mike," He blurted out awkwardly and loud, shooting forward to shake Aiden's hand, scooping it up without being offered a hand in return; and when he turned to offer the same to Dade he thought better of it and simply looked at him for a pregnant pause before he turned his energy back on Aiden. "Like Donnie said, the doc isn't in - but you dudes can stay and wait for him with us if you want." He offered helpfully.

Don sighed as he watched Aiden look at his hand while Mikey continued to shake it. "He was gone when we got up." Don offered.

"Chill dude," Aiden said casually, taking Mikey's wrist and peeling his hand off. It was only then that Mike noticed the other turtle had five fingers.

"Don check it out! He's got five digits not the triplicate we sport. See." He grabbed up Aiden's wrist and held up the hand for an illustration. Mike certainly lacked in tact but Aiden didn't seem to mind as the grin popped up on his narrow face again. But his bird friend retorted with a huff of annoyance or arrogance - it wasn't clear which.

"Fascinatin'." Raph grumbled, disgruntled, harshly jerking Mikey away from the strangers. "Now that the peanut gallery is done, what'd'ya want with the doc?"

"Lockdown, we came to warn him." Aiden seemed to shave off some of his boisterous behavior as well and replace it for seriousness in that moment. Don had opened his mouth to speak but Aiden cut him off. "You gotta be stow-aways the doc is trying to help. I, of all people, know how many turtles rock the streets of NYC, call it cocky but we sort'a have this life thing at an unfair advantage and it's wicked." He wrapped with his knuckles on his front plastron and beamed. "You should envy me…us rather, my feathered friend." He shot Dade another passing smile but didn't let his attention linger on his friend. "I don't know you dudes and deductive reasoning, all Sherlock Holmes style, would point to your being new and in the doc's home means, more than likely, he's granting you amnesty. He's so considerate of the newbs; which I find endearing. Don't take offense I didn't mean newb in the green way - get it...green?"

Raph grunted, again disgruntled. "You have got to be kidding me. I can't deal with another one like this guy." He gave Mike a shove, which stopped the laugh that had echoed in his throat at Aiden's pun.

"Wait, stop." Don held up a hand, before tipping his head to the side, fully ignoring Raph's words. "You said lockdown. What does that mean?" Donnie was trying not to panic but he was certain his voice was rushed and his question hurried. After all what Aiden had said didn't sound like it would bode well for Leo if he were trapped out in the city somewhere.

"It means we need to stop wasting time and find Dr. Wayne." Dade roared but Aiden leaned over and gave him a warning jab to the shoulder a single time to get him to shut up. It seemed to work as the birdman's feathers ruffled again but he just snorted in response.

"It means that we need to hide the goods. The feds figured out there was a hit and will search all the buildings, businesses and personal pads for anyone that could have scored the mother load. Which…means there's probably a stock here. Maybe you can help us find it." Aiden moved over to the left. "We don't need doc Frankenstien to carry out his tasks Birdy." Aiden explained to Dade before he pointed over to cabinets. "We're looking for a wooden box." He told the three ninjas.

"We know where it is." Don said after a moment of consideration. He was somewhat surprised that Aiden had simply told him, point blank, in a manner of speaking, about what the doctor was up to; or at least that he was up to something and involved in the theft that was going on. However, in the same instant Don also figured that these people – who could come and go from the doctor's personal residence – knew what he was up to as Aiden had nearly pinpointed what he and his brothers were. "But…before we tell you where it is," Don placed a hand on Aiden's shoulder and held him to his spot, "tell us more about what lockdown entails. Will they come in here?"

"Nope, not if they find the doc on the streets or at work. He's not supposed to be working today though, even so they won't just come in here. It means we hide under the windows when they knock on the door." He joked with a wide smile. "They'll only come in if he's here. They might bring him back here so they can search the premises. But so long as he's not here – we should be golden."

"But what if they come across an unregistered mutant out there?" Donnie asked quickly.

"They'll get registered as soon as the feds spot them. No biggie. Why? You missin' someone?" Aiden shrugged. His light hearted tone annoyed Raph enough that he lunged forward and in a swift motion pinned Aiden to the wall. Before Raph could speak though he felt something prick his neck and both Don and Mike sucked in concerned breaths as the saw Dade take to action too. Just as quickly as Raph had moved Dade had and a small, narrow dagger was pressed lightly against Raph's neck. "Release him." Dade warned.

"Whoa." Aiden breathed, his head had ducked down on instinct and part of his face disappeared slightly; obscured by his shell. It was clear that he couldn't duck the whole thing in as his anatomy was human too but his head was narrower than his turtle counterparts and allowed from some protection from his shell. Slowly he drew his head out the rest of the way, lengthening his neck. He could still feel where his back plating had hit hard against the wall. "Uncool." He told Raph before he glanced at Dade who was sneering angrily, still holding the dagger point pressed against Raph's neck. "Both of you, totally uncool."

"I agree." Mikey commented quickly but didn't move to step forward in an attempt to intervene for fear that Raph would hurt Aiden, or worse, Dade would hurt Raph. "Could you dudes both chill please. You put down the letter opener and you put down the turtle and we'll all be one big happy family again." Without Leo there to intercede and control the hotheaded turtle, and Leo being the one that Raph was worried about, there was no telling how Raph might behave. He was unpredictable and dangerous when threatened or emotional. It seemed that he was both in that moment.

"Sooner rather than later would be fantastic." Don interjected swiftly, pointing toward the window. Mikey looked in the direction Don indicated and both Raph and Aiden looked too, just in time to see half a dozen humans headed up in the direction of the front door.

"Hide!" Dade hissed against Raph's ear in a near snarl but let his weapon down first. Raph said nothing but dropped Aiden just as swiftly as he'd attacked him.


	9. This Ain't No Rocket Science

****Nose Over Tail**  
><strong>Chapter 8:  
><span>This Ain't No Rocket Science<span>

"I thought you said they wouldn't come in." Mikey's voice was panicked as he scrambled to duck down and away from the window. It was as if all the light that radiated from outside, and flooded the floor within, was the monster in and of itself though Mikey knew there were actual people to fear outside. He spent so much time in the cloak of darkness, whether it was outside on the streets at night or just underground in the sewers, it was tough for him to handle being in a place with such direct contact with sunlight and the outside world.

"They won't." Dade barked back swiftly as he pushed Raph out of the way, clearly unconcerned with him as he had bigger issues to take on. He grabbed Aiden roughly by his upper arm, tugging him over under the window with a jerk of his turtle friend. "As long as they don't think anyone is here, they won't come in. If they see someone inside, they'll expect an answer at the door and when no one comes, that's when we're in real trouble. Furthermore, they'll still want to search the house - they just won't do it without Dr. Wayne here, they can't just barge in. Now shut your face and get over here before you get all of us caught." Mikey made a small noise, as if he was a little frightened by Dade's rather rough tone that seemed indicative of the bird.

Don had pressed himself flat against the wall, which was a feat in itself as the bulge of his shell caused some interference with the angle of the wall. In fact, it was hard for all of them to truly be invisible, but they did their best to hide the bulkier parts of their bodies. Raph, the thickest of the three, had swiftly and expertly tucked himself under the small living room table, disguised by it's opaque cloth that hung over the edge. The curtains were sheer and transparent, but made it nearly impossible to accurately see anything inside in a detailed fashion; however, it wouldn't prevent those outside from recognizing that there were people in there.

Mikey had fallen in next to Dade, as instructed by the snappy bird. It was the orange clad turtle's nonexistent patience, particularly in such a high-energy situation as nothing but adrenaline filled his blood, coupled with a lack of serenity on even the most easy going of days, that made him open his mouth to whisper something to the others. Whatever it was he was going to say was lost, however, when Dade launched forward, having seen enough to expect something less than quiet to come from the boisterous turtle, and slapped a hand over his mouth. "Shhhhh..." Dade hissed, hastily and lowly.

"You said you know where the serum is." Dade added sharply, but softly against the side of Mikey's head, where he expected his ear to be. The turtle didn't squirm underneath him, but when he heard Mike mumble and the orange masked turtle's head bobbed under his hand he went on. "Good. You must go get it, get it and get out of here. Keep it safe, wherever you can store it. Guard it with your life if you have to, its a hell of a lot more valuable. Return in three days, right here for Dr. Wayne. Take your unregistered friends and get out of here. Go with them. You understand?" Dade spoke, repeating some of his words, as if he was talking to a two-year-old as it was clear that was how he believed Mikey to be. Mike merely gave a nod of his head, though his eyes were squeezed tightly shut in fear and panic. Dade let go of Mikey's face and he head snapped around to Aiden. The other striped turtle was already shaking his head in clear opposition to whatever was about to be said.

"You're outta your mind if you say it, since you already know my answer. I'm not leaving without you, bud." Aiden said in a rushed, but hushed voice.

"Yes you are, all of you are. Someone has to keep an eye on the stuff, while I keep their attention elsewhere, or all our work has been in vein. Besides, just leaving this place empty is dumb - someone has to be here when Dr. Wayne gets back. Don't argue with me, I'm not in the mood for it right now, Aiden." Dade barked, eyes narrowed and his free hand pointed the dagger he'd used on Raph at Aiden. An 'eep' came from behind him, where Mikey was still hiding some and color even drained a little out of Aiden's cheeks, clearly surprised by how aggressively persistent Dade was being. The entire room was laid thick with tension, just from the fear alone.

"We aren't leaving without our brother either." Raph's head poked out form under the table, his green face framed by the table cloth over top of him. He looked pointedly between the two foreign mutant men as Raph was deadly serious about waiting until Leo got back to book it. "I'm not one for hiding as it is, we could fight 'em instead. It'd go a lot faster, that's all I'm saying..."

"Shut up!" Dade shot out in a whisper, clearly restraining a barking call out to them as he had to be quiet. "Both of you! Stop arguing with me and just listen. We don't have time for this! You have to unless you want to get registered today, and I'm betting that's a big fat no. Stop being dumb!" He told Raph directly, though those words applied to Aiden in some ways too. "If so, then by all means hang around and let them take you. And you - now's not the time to be defiant, you're supposed to be my ally in this, not my God damn adversary...just _go_." He told Aiden in a little bit of a growl, his eyes dark and beady in the way a birds would be in the heat of battle.

"Then come with us, yeah? They haven't seen us and you don't want to get tangled up with those paper pushing dudes and their bogus morals. You could score lock down and maybe even a good old fashioned torture session if you're lucky, which we both know you will what with the doc being so close." Aiden mocked openly, giving a roll of his eyes and a throw of his hands in the air. Dade scowled at him as if silently scolding him for being so openly active in his movements, frustrated by all four of the turtles - Aiden included - for being insolent in that moment. "Don't you be retarded, I know how that head of yours works and a bird brain is hardly anything that holds true so shut your yap and get ready to come with us."

"I said we ain't leaving without Leo." Raph had not tucked his head back yet and was a bit louder, and rougher, with his command this time. It was just as he interrupted Aiden and Dade's fight, as if on cue, that a fist pounded on the door. Its force was strong enough to rattle the wood on its frame and it made a booming sound in their effort to get the attention of whoever was inside. Mike jumped from behind Dade, who immediately jerked out and covered his mouth again, just in case he might yap something in his fear. Aiden's head ducked into his shell a little from surprise and Don sucked in a breath, flattening even further onto the wall.

"Raph, usually I would agree with you, particularly with getting Leo back. But we have to trust him to care for himself right now and Dade's right, we can't stay here. We'll be dead meat before Leo even gets back." Don's eyes were on his brother, silently pleading him to agree so that they could escape this terrifying place. There was another knock at the door, even stronger than the first, that forced them all into silence. It echoed in the room like a clap around snow covered hills, causing an avalanche of tension and fear to ripple down the room, soaking them all in its uncomfortable weight. Raph ground his teeth as he snarled, clearly displeased with the options before them. Or rather just one option.

"Hello?" The masculine voice came from the other side of the door. Dade's hand tightened against Mikey's mouth proactively as he could feel Mikey squirm underneath him to run in any direction to escape the agents.

"Now! We have to go right now!" Dade whispered sharply as they heard a metallic scraping on the doorknob. He didn't hesitate to move either as he let go of Mikey again, it pointless by now to stop him from talking, and he scrambled to get what they needed. Donnie was moving in a second, pushing off from the wall just as Raph climbed expertly out from underneath the table, his motions fluid as he too followed behind Dade.

"I thought you said they wouldn't come in." Mikey's concern was repeated in an exact verbal revisit of his last statement. It echoed against his voice as he nearly whined his implied question as it rang out in the room.

"They aren't supposed to - but now is not the time to argue that. We have to get out of here. Get the drugs." Dade said to Don and Raph bound forward as Aiden jumped into action himself, all beside Mikey who seemed to be falling immediately, though with hesitancy in his steps, in line with his brothers. Don skidded to a halt in the sitting room, where they'd eaten dinner the night before, and scooped up a box that was tucked away behind the couch. He hugged it close to his chest as if it were a child all his own; he would be damned to let it leave his fingers without being pried from there. It was just as the lock clicked that he moved to leave the room. He narrowly ducked behind the door with the others when he heard the front door swing open.

The government officials were more like a heard of elephants as they thundered in, not subtly in their entry. It gave the other five, who were lighter on their feet, cover as they bustled down the stairs and into the basement that lead to the sewer exit; the very same that Leo, Raph and Don had been brought up through the day before and Mikey as well (though he'd been unconscious). They were only mere steps in front of the officials as it seemed like every door they slipped through was opened a second later by an agent behind them.

"They'll be monitoring those." Dade stopped as Raph pushed aside the mini-fridge that disguised the first passageway through a trapdoor. He looked up to the bird man with a coy, crooked smile - like he knew something Dade didn't and he was giddy for it.

"Not the way we go." Raph said smoothly, almost as if he were challenging the white feathered man's bravery. He didn't wait to see if the other's followed as he hopped through, Don second and they left Mike to pull up the rear - after Aiden and Dade slipped through. Mikey had glanced over his shoulder in an attempt to make sure they were safely undetected. As his eyes scanned the room, he felt something creep around his ankle and he let out a frightened shriek. "SHHH!" It was Dade who'd hissed at him as Mikey had recoiled having jerked his foot free and drew his shoulders up in his fright. "Come on!" Dade urged him, indicating they'd all pass through the trapdoor except the final turtle; who's heart was beating nervously against his plastron.

"Give a guy a heart attack, will ya?" Mikey let his shoulders fall as he mumbled out the words at the bird head floating just above the plane of the floor, the rest of his body below in the sewer.

"Just come on!" Dade snapped and with a swift and stealthy jump Mikey sprang into the hole in the floor, disappearing below the surface with the rest of them. The coverings were barely moved into place as the door slammed open and the agents raided Dr. Wayne's residence.


	10. Damned for the Land of the Free

**Nose Over Tail  
><strong>Chapter 9:  
><span>Damned for the Land of the Free<span>

* * *

><p>"Report?"<p>

When no words came from the General's command, his eyes lifted from the file he was assessing. It was a slow and methodical glance toward the door where he'd heard the arrival. General Peter Trinity figured that it was one of the commanding officers, who answered to him, on his 'mutant' project. General Trinity preferred to call it the Mutant Problem.

As the leading official in charge, he demanded that everyone recognize his position, at the very least, by answering his questions when asked.

His eyes scanned the man who arrived. If he was surprised, Trinity's face never showed it.

"What are you doing here, Bishop?" General Trinity asked in a faux cordial tone that was anything but welcoming. "Forgive me if I don't have time for your...playground projects."

The black suited federal agent's jaw tightened. He loathed nothing more than working with anyone, save one thing - working with military jarheads. He was an independent worker, heading his own projects, being the one in charge. Discovering that there was already a person working on a project he had no knowledge of, but should have not just known about but lead by his estimation, made Agent Bishop furious. Bishop's demonstration of aggravation didn't manifest the way it did for so many others; outside, he showed no indication of his irritation - yet.

"Most of your glorified conspiracy theory tasks have little to no business in the reality of what my job is here. That being said I can't fathom what you're doing here," Trinity's tone had moved to taunting.

Bishop's lips thinned. His patience wore thin and he could feel the integrity of his tolerance falter. He could kill Trinity before the General knew what had happened, but he knew that was not feasible. "General, the Secretary of Defense sent me as back up for your target plans. I'm more familiar with mutants than you may know. I'm more than capable of handling them."

Trinity could tell Bishop felt superior in this project. 'This game, we can play it, Agent Bisohp,' Trinity thought. The Agent wasn't on any of the superior's top list for a variety of reasons, yet still he seemed to receive funding. It was something Trinity couldn't understand. "Ah yes, the outbreak you were responsible for a few years back. Yes, that classified file isn't so classified beyond a certain pay-grade. My clearance trumps yours, Agent Bishop. Rest assured all of your mutants were exterminated."

"That's not what I meant." Bishop hissed through his clenched jaw.

"Surely not, perhaps you meant the ones you helped during the same time or your generated outbreak, or the crocodile you tested on? That research, by the way, came in handy for our purposes. Thank you, Agent Bishop."

"What's your plan?"

"Direct. Very well. Come here, Agent." Trinity waved Bishop forward, to a large window. The stoic man moved forward and looked down to where Trinity gestured. Some dozens of stories below were hundreds of mutants of all shapes and sizes. "This is my best way to monitor them...all of them. My pets, my problems, my vermin."

Bishop knew how he'd come in and that this whole lot of New York was quarantined to what would be the average onlooker. Distracted by undercover government agents and rerouted to other areas of the city. All so the government could hide a fully functional mutant city. "Impressive." Bishop said looking down his nose to the variety below.

"Impressive in the way ants in a farm are. This is a clocked test. Over the last ten years we've been conditioning the mutant population to go on mandatory lockdown for specific period of time. They're getting very good at following orders. Too bad I can't put these freaks on the front line and forgo losing good soldiers. Valuable men."

Bishop didn't look toward Trinity but he measured the man's worth in his comments. He had no love for mutants. He had no love for anything. But he figured that Trinity showed his weakness in his words. If he ever wanted to assassinate him, he would send a woman, just so that Trinity would be surprised that a woman bested him; being that he put his value, obviously, in men and soldiers. Those who took and followed orders without question. 'How short-sighted of you, Trinity,' one corner of Bishop's mouth turned up at the thought.

"Why the drills?"

"To look for thieves, at the moment."

"And in the future?" Bishop finally turned to the General.

Trinity smiled slimy, but turned to a nearby file cabinet. "War. Project Alpha Fox." He handed Bishop a green tinted, standard issue folder. The Agent opened it. He thumbed through charts and maps, flipping through pages of an action plan so extensive that it spanned the length of ten years. Inside were the plans for a bombing of this very city; coordinates for underground bombs, orders for military officials during the eradication, and even a detailed description to be released to the public post massacre. It was to happen while all the mutants were locked down in their apartments per the government's orders; routine, as far as the locals understood.

Innocent people - mutants - who trusted their lives to government like any other citizen were to be destroyed in a planned attack that would be blamed, in a cover story to the public, as a terrorist attack on all four locations all at once. The plan to rile the population and perpetuate war was imminent. A remake, under lies, of the attack made to the World Trade Center to perpetuate war and remind the American people why the government should fund war. To unite the people...the _human_ people.

"This was your plan?" Bishop looked up.

"Every word of it!" Trinity's chest doubled inside for the way he puffed up.

"Remarkable." Bishop's gravelly tone mocked the General, but the Agent knew it would go unnoticed for Trinity's pride, in that moment, was unbreakable. He flipped the file shut and looked back across the city. "Ultimate destruction of an entire race. Genocide. Hitler could only dream of what you'll accomplish in one pass."

"I know." Trinity almost beamed.

"You said they're all headed to lock down now? One of your drills?"

"Yes," Trinity commented. "They know what to do."

"Indeed." Bishop hummed, his eyes had swept the city several times; but on this pass he saw something which turned the tone of his voice up. Not far off, on one of the building roves, his gaze caught the familiar silhouette of a turtle who happened to be a skilled martial artist. One corner of his mouth turned up. 'If you had no fear before, General Trinity, you should now. I think I'll keep this one to myself,' Bishop held his tongue but let his mind run wild with the possibilities.

* * *

><p><strong>::Author's Note::<strong> Many of the topics in this chapter are...controversial. Please do not be offended. This isn't a political story, nor a representation of our view point on politics. This is merely a story, and the contents of this chapter was a plot device of epic proportions. It's always been in the outline for this story. I have been hesitant to write this chapter because I feared the way it may be misconstrued. Please know nothing in it is not meant to be a direct feeling or concern. That being said, anyone still reading this, we hope you enjoyed the plot developments which were FINALLY revealed. We'd love to hear what you think! Thank you for reading! V/R Stoic and Harley


	11. Dead On The Floor

**Nose Over Tail**

Chapter 10:

Dead on the Floor

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><p>"What's with the weapons?" One of Trinity's soldiers asked, poking the pile of ninja weapons on Dr. Wayne's table.<p>

Another soldier grinned and elbowed his friend. "Doc's picked up a new hobby."

The nunchucks rolled, clanking into the metal of a katana blade. "Can't imagine that oaf of a dog picking up karate." He scoffed.

The two shared a laugh as the squad leader hushed them. "Evidence. It's evidence that he stole the goods."

"Lex?" The three soldiers turned to the door they'd left open, where an anthropomorphic giant panda stood. She was one of two, an exotic species, and therefore well known by the TCB agents. "Oh…" she took a step back and lifted her hands instinctively. "Is Dr. Wayne here?"

"It's none of your business, Dre. Can't you see we're working? And you should be locked down in your apartment." The squad leader barked at her. "Cuff her, we'll take her in for not minding the instruction. Bet you came looking for Dade…" the leader moved dangerously close to her.

"I don't know what you mean." She stated boldly.

"If Dade or Aiden were here, then we know the Doc's behind the heist. And you wouldn't be here if Dade wasn't here. Now would you, princess?" His voice was low, taunting.

Dre turned her panda face away from him. "If you're going to cuff me, then cuff me," she instructed. "It turns out that Aiden and Dade are my friends. And Lex is my doctor. He wasn't working today, I thought he might be here. Furthermore, Aiden and Dade are Lex's sons. If they've been here, it's not surprise. Just because they frequent their adoptive father's home means nothing about my reason for hoping to find my doctor."

"You're slick, I'll give you that. Your arguments are sound, Dre. But I'm not a fool." He leaned in on her, close enough that she could smell his breath from the way he bore down on her. "Know what's the story with the weapons?"

She shook her head. "I've never seen them before."

"You're Chinese aren't you? Aren't panda from China?"

Dre did all she could to keep from rolling her eyes. "I was born in the US to human parents, thank you Mr. Bills for being ignorant and discriminating. Di was the panda that caused us both to mutate and he was from China. Don't be stupid."

He'd had enough and he backhanded Dre with all of his might. "Filthy mutant. How dare you speak to me in such a manner." He reeled back and kicked her, as his initial hit had sent her sprawling to the floor. She dared not retaliate just then.

He got three good kicks in and had reeled back to kick her again when the wind was suddenly knocked from him, for a flying kick to the chest threw him through the door leading to the kitchen. His head collided with the counter hard and his body smashes into the cabinet with the full weight of his body.

The other two agents immediately leveled their guns on a very determined turtle. Leo's eyes narrowed in on the two men before him. Though he was only faced with two, he could hear a few others further back in the house, rummaging through things. "You won't touch her." Leo warned dangerously and with certainty in his statement. As if he himself were going to ensure it was true. It was the last thing they would hear him say.

In a quick movement, Leo threw himself forward and slid forward on his carapace, using his leg to sweep the ground and bring both soldiers flat on their backs. When he sprang to his feet, he was reconnected with his katana. Like a security blanket or an old friend, the double blades centered him. His first course of action was disarming the men.

Neither was prepared for a ninja and, as a result, Leo and removed the guns from both men without any effort whatsoever. He was so focused that he didn't hear Dre's, 'no…' behind him. He didn't even think before he moved down the hall and proceeded forward with his mission. Which resulted in six unconscious TCB agents. Leo didn't even break a sweat.

He tucked his katana into their holsters on his back and came back to where Dre had thrown the door shut and locked it. She turned to look at Leo. Wiping a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth and further matting it in her white fur she frowned. "What have you done?" she asked with a hint of disdain mix with surprise in her tone.

"Well, I started off by helping you," Leo pointed out. "Now, you'll tell me where my brothers are."

Dre didn't want to concede that he had helped her, stubbornly. Instead she was too concerned about the unconscious men of Trinity's that littered the doctor's house. Furthermore, they had been right, she was concerned about her friends and it was why she'd come. Aiden and Dade were closer to her than family. They were her mutant family in many ways. Hearing about mandatory lockdown meant, to her, that one or both of them had gone on a PoMo run and gotten caught. With six agents nearly dead on the floor, Trinity would surely attribute the theft with Lex, though this man – whom Dre did not know – was responsible.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I came here looking for Dade or Aiden."

"Who?" Leo asked.

Dre groaned, touching her side where she'd been kicked. "Dade…oversized, grouchy bird. Aiden, shorter and stouter, a turtle. You don't know who they are?" Everyone in the city knew Aiden and Dade, just like they knew Lex. Lex was the city's lead doctor while Aiden and Dade were his adopted sons. This gave Dre all the clues she needed…this man didn't belong here. He was unregistered.

Leo's face showed no signs of what he was thinking and one corner of Dre's mouth turned up.

"Very well, we can play your game. I don't know you, you don't know me and we're both looking for people important to us. One of us has to give. I guess that's going to be the one who has people that matter more to them."

Leo's eye twitched at her challenge, he picked up on it immediately. She was baiting him.

She felt her side flare in pain and wondered for a moment if they hadn't kicked something important inside of her. She wasn't a doctor, or even a medical professional, but she was sure that twinge in her belly wasn't a good one. She felt a chill pass over her and it gave her an incentive.

"Please, I have to find them. I'm worried that the agents were after them…and would kill them if they found my…my friends. If they were here, and your brothers were, I'm sure that their together. They wouldn't leave anyone behind…" She hesitated, "well...let me rephrase that, Aiden wouldn't leave anyone behind."

"Why would these men be after your friends?"

"PoMo…I think this lock down might be in search for stolen PoMo."

Leo closed his eyes. The tale Lex Wayne had woven for them, which was how Mikey got caught up with these mutants, involved just that – a box of that drug. He didn't give himself the luxury of considering why it was that they seemed to get themselves caught up in things he didn't have room to sort out. He dismissed his lamenting the why's and how's for the immediate need to act.

"Where would Dade and Aiden go? Where would they hide it? If they had been here, what would their course of action be?"

Dre's head was spinning. She couldn't fathom how the layers of fat she kept around her hips and middle didn't help insulate her organs from attacks such as this. She stumbled forward and caught the edge of the table. Leo immediately met her, catching her free hand. "Down," she pointed to the kitchen. "The basement to the sewer, but that place will be crawling with agents."

Leo shook his head, "We don't have a choice. We have to get out of here and I'm not leaving you."

She nodded. "I just want to find my friends and make sure they're okay."

Leo didn't want to point out that she should worry about her own safety.

"And I don't want to be around when these guys wake up." Dre added in a huff, as she held her side.

"Then we try the sewer exit." Leo confirmed. "Let me help you."

Dre looked at him skeptically. "I don't even know your name."

"Leo," he tried to sound less staunch when he greeted her. She was a mutant as he was, yet Leo still wasn't sure who he could trust. Though her words resonated with him as truth for the parts of the story he had heard.

"Dre. I'm Dre." She told him, and with a soft breath leaned on him ever so slightly. "Let's hope your brothers are with my friends and we can both go home happy."

Leo offered her a weak smile that failed to reach his eyes, "Let's hope." He agreed.


End file.
